


Brotherhood: Identities

by FantasticMrMac



Series: Seichō no Itami [2]
Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Awesome, Blood and Gore, Canon-Typical Violence, Childhood Trauma, Children, Death Threats, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Family Drama, Fights, Fire, Gen, Guerilla Warfare, Next Generation, Pain, Psychological Horror, Soldiers, Suspense, Swordplay, Teen Romance, Thunder and Lightning, Trials, War
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-17
Updated: 2017-08-07
Packaged: 2018-03-01 22:08:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 17
Words: 86,150
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2789429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FantasticMrMac/pseuds/FantasticMrMac
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Two years after the events of Parenthood, the sons of Sasuke attempt to survive in a changing world where their heritage makes them targets in more ways than one and the challenges of shinobi life cause them to question who they are and what they may become...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Growing Pains

**A/N: Hello, hello! Old readers and new ones! Thanks for clicking on my story. As the summary said, this is a sequel to my previous story, Parenthood, which I feel is required reading. So, if you haven't already, please go check it out. As always, please leave a review to tell me what you thought of this chapter and the ones to come. Things I can do better, things you really liked, etc. With all of that out of the way, please enjoy!**

* * *

 

_"Have you unpacked your bags yet?" Sosei looked towards the kitchenette in the hotel room and sighed._

_"No," he replied. "What's the point? The Hokage's going to send us away tomorrow anyway." Sosei's mother came to him and smiled. Her hand caressed his cheek and her lips touched his forehead. Sosei shuddered and pulled away and his mother narrowed her eyes before she laughed._

_"Just trust me," she said with a smile. "I know the Hokage and even if he does send me away, he won't do that to you. I believe he recognizes that you need to be with your father." Sosei shook his head. He didn't think so. When his father had initially seen him, his face had been far from welcoming. In fact, the man looked absolutely disgusted to see Sosei and his mother. Not besides the fact that the Hokage had placed them in a hotel room, guarded by ANBU Black Ops. It felt like they were being kept prisoner and it made the young boy uneasy._

_The teenager shrugged. "You know him better than I do," he said. His mother paused at that and seemed to ponder on Sosei's words. Finally, the red-haired woman smiled at Sosei._

_"Maybe. He is rather hard to read," she replied. Sosei's mother than folded her arms. "Anyway, do what I tell you. Get those bags unpacked." Sosei frowned and shrugged._

_"Fine," he said. His mother left and Sosei began to unzip his bag. The only things his mother had allowed him to take were his most generic clothes. His Kiri flak jacket and headband had been left in his room. They had left his uncle Suigetsu and his play-cousin, Setsuka behind. His mother's reasoning for their leaving had only been that she wanted him to meet his father but her urgency made Sosei suspicious and nervous._

_But what was the real reason they had left and why had they left so much? Sosei's mother had told Sosei enough about his father for him to make general assumptions. Sasuke Uchiha was a powerful man, probably the strongest shinobi in the entire world, but he never really cared enough about Sosei's mother to stay with her. He was a rough and coldhearted killer that could slaughter armies in minutes. Sosei had expected to see a monstrous man, daubed in battle scars. Instead, he found a man who's only hardened features were his eyes._

_Sosei wanted to know more about him than his mother had told him. There was something about this Sasuke Uchiha that seemed to be more than simply a powerful shinobi and killer. There was a connection that Sosei felt to him that he didn't feel with his mother._

_Sosei's ears perked as he heard something break outside of his room. He leapt to his feet when he heard his mother scream. The young boy ran outside of the room and his eyes widened. Two Konoha shinobi were inside the room and one of them had his mother by the throat. Her red eyes glanced over to him and she mouthed something._

_Run._

_Sosei didn't and the other Konoha shinobi grabbed Sosei by his collar and threw him to the ground. The boy's movements were restricted. All he could do was look up as one of the Konoha shinobi held a kunai to his mother's throat. A kunai that looked exactly like a Kiri kunai._

_"What the hell are you doing?! Stop!" Sosei yelled. That earned him a punch to the head._

_"Shut the fuck up," the shinobi that held him said. "You're next." Sosei's mother looked down at him and then she frowned at her assailant. Her legs went up and she kicked the man in his stomach. Her next blow went to the man's face. The man that held Sosei threw him against the wall and crossed the floor to his mother. Sosei only heard his mother gasp and the blade thump twice into her chest._

_When Sosei looked up, his mother fell to the ground and her glasses cracked against the floor. Her murderer stood over her and what looked to be a metal tube slid from underneath his shirt sleeve. Sosei's eyes widened and it seemed as if his brain and completely shut itself off and the world went pitch black._

_Then, something exploded inside of his head._

_A surge of chakra burst in Sosei's skull and the young boy yelled as pain from his loss overtook him. The chakra release caused the two men to stare at him. When they saw the look in his eyes, they shook. The world looked different to Sosei. Everything appeared clearer. He could see more. Specifically, the kunai that slid from the shinobi's pouch._

_Sosei leapt forward and kicked the man in the back of his knee and then drove his elbow into the bridge of his nose. He snatched the kunai from his hand and with two slashes, spilled the man's blood onto the carpet. The next shinobi ran towards Sosei and the boy ducked under his swing. In his blind rage, Sosei threw himself into the man's chest, kunai first and began to jab his blade into his stomach, piercing his flak jacket and shirt._

_Sosei didn't stop._

_Blood spurted onto his hands._

_Sosei didn't stop._

_The man's body went limp._

_Sosei didn't stop._

_A powerful hand grabbed Sosei and lifted him into the air. The boy turned to see the angered Sharingan eyes of the demon. His father._

_Sosei stopped._

* * *

 

Sosei Uchiha rose from his bed, panting and covered in sweat. His eyes ripped across the room, searching desperately for any assailants that may have infiltrated his room. But there was no one there. The young Uchiha's hand went to his face as he wiped it clear of sweat. Even after two years, the nightmares hadn't stopped.

If there had been one drawback that Sosei had noted with the Sharingan, it was that his eyes kept images burned into his brain. Nothing escaped. Nothing was lost. Even if he just wanted a reprieve long enough for him to obtain peaceful sleep.

Sosei's eyes glanced towards his clock as he tried to calm his breathing. It was 3:55 AM. His team was meeting in an hour and five. The eldest of Sasuke's children got up from his bed and grabbed his towel from the rack on his door. Sosei crossed the hallway to the bathroom and closed the door behind him. Usually, he'd take a cold shower to jumpstart his system but his nightmare had done enough on that front. Instead, Sosei let the hot water run over his body and calm him.

After washing himself with scentless soaps, Sosei stepped out of the shower and dried himself off. The young Uchiha brushed his teeth and rinsed his mouth out with water until the scent on his breath was gone. His stomach gurgled but his hunger would have to wait to sated completed. When he entered his room, Sosei popped in a food pill to at the very least fool his body into thinking he had eaten.

Sosei garbed himself in black pants and sandals before putting on a sleeveless black shirt and strapping a sword to his back. A porcelain bird mask hung in front of his closet and Sosei grabbed that up as well. The young Uchiha closed the door behind him and activated his Sharingan. He attached his mask to his belt and in a flash of black, he left his home behind.

The open field appeared below Sosei as he landed in the midst. The young Uchiha dipped his head as he saw his superior. "Captain Komuji," he said. The silver-haired son of the legendary Copy Ninja Kakashi Hatake casually waved at Sosei.

"Yo," Komuji replied. "You're first to show up as always." Sosei nodded and glanced around. The sun was just starting to peek above the horizon. The Uchiha folded his arms.

"Is today's assignment something that all ears have to hear? Or…" Komuji chuckled.

"It's nothing new, really. Just rounding up the last few stragglers. I'll give specifics when everyone arrives," the silver-haired young man replied.

"Ah," Sosei nodded. The "stragglers" Komuji referred to were the remaining followers of Yashin that had been on the run since their attack on Konoha. The Hokage had declared his intention to help reestablish Kirigakure as a village with the help of the Water Daimyō and offered pardons for any Kiri shinobi that were involved in the invasion. Some idiots had been foolish enough to refuse his offer and continued to perform terrorist attacks around the Land of Fire. For the last year that Sosei had been a member of Konoha's ANBU Black Ops, he had been hunting down and killing everyone that refused to surrender. He supposed that the objective hadn't changed.

Within a few minutes, two more ANBU members of Team Hae descended into the field. The female of the duo sighed and laughed.

"Sorry, Captain Komuji! I overslept," the girl said. Sosei scoffed.

" _Again_." The girl turned and smiled at the young Uchiha.

"Good morning, Sosei! How are you?" she asked. Sosei rolled his eyes and frowned. Suzume Hishou was probably one of the most annoying people Sosei had ever met in his life. Though she was two years the Uchiha's senior, she behaved in a way that Sosei expected to come from a child Hikari's age. Despite this, Sosei had begrudgingly accepted that she was a skilled kunoichi in her own right, despite her incessant tardiness.

"I'd be better if we didn't have to wait for you every time we had a mission," he replied. The girl gawked and then pointed at the man behind her, Noboru Hyūga. The brown-haired man stood in silence as Suzume pointed her finger accusingly.

"Hey, I wasn't the only one late getting here!" The Hyūga clansman opened his pale eyes and in a stiff, stoic tone, spoke.

"You asked me to wait for you to be ready." Suzume flushed red and laughed sheepishly. Sosei was about to speak again before Komuji stood to his feet and sighed.

"All right, you three." The young man pulled a kunai from his pouch. "Now that you're all here, we can go ahead and get this mission finished." Komuji knelt to the ground and began to draw. Sosei watched his hand strokes and realized that he was a drawing the border between the Land of Fire and Kusagakure. Komuji drew an "x" far inland. "We've received reports of the remaining followers of Yashin holding up just outside of borders near the sea. The Hokage has someone coming from the Land of Water, a messenger from the daimyō. Whether Yashin's intend to attack the emissary or not, we aren't sure. But the plan is to perform a preemptive strike and stop them."

Sosei shrugged. "Sounds simple enough," the young Uchiha said. Komuji nodded.

"Except," he started. "The last remaining shinobi are amongst Yashin's highest ranked officers, one of them being Agato of the Fist…or Agato the Troll, depending upon who you ask." The Hatake sighed. "So this won't be a simple assassination. It may devolve into an all-out brawl." Komuji stood and placed his porcelain mask on. "If that does happen, just follow my lead and your instincts. Hopefully, we'll be home before the sun falls."

Suzume grinned and placed her mask on. " _Ikou_!" she said. Noboru placed his mask on and Sosei followed him. When everyone had disguised themselves, Komuji leapt into the air and led them out. The Hatake took point, while Noboru held to the back and Suzume and Sosei took to either side. Sosei Uchiha's mind departed as Konoha was left behind him and the open forest expanded ahead of him.

His nightmares flashed into his head. His mother dead in front of him. His father's Sharingan. Even Yashin nearly killing him in the middle of the lake. Perhaps now with the last remnants of Yashin's forces being pursued, Sosei hoped he could finally put those old demons to rest.

But optimism was never part of the Uchiha ideology.

* * *

 

Takuma's mouth parted as he yawned and stretched his arms into the air. It was exceptionally early, about 5:00 AM. The young Uchiha knew that he was probably the only one up in the house. Sosei had told him about his ANBU mission. He should've been already gone which meant that Takuma could practice his jutsu, unbothered. Takuma rolled out of bed and placed his sandals on. It wasn't necessarily that Sosei interfered with his training. It was much to the contrary. At times, Takuma's elder brother would help him, pointing out areas in his technique that he needed to improve on and then showing him exactly how he should improve. Takuma appreciated that and it had made him a better shinobi.

Takuma just didn't like Sosei.

The young Uchiha had tried to accept him. For the past two years, he has tried to accept the fact that his father had had another child with another woman, but the thought never sat well with him. Takuma had such a paragon image of his father, a hero. An upstanding and honest man, despite the supposed evil he had done in the past. Sasuke Uchiha was the shinobi and man that Takuma had wanted to be. But now, he was unsure. Sosei's presence had ruined Takuma's vision of his father. But, everyone else had seemed to accept him as if he was family. Kichiro loved Sosei to death, idolizing every step that he took. Even Hikari had gotten close to him. Takuma was the only one that didn't care for him.

It didn't matter to him that Sosei could potentially be named the heir to the Uchiha clan's fortune. Times were modernizing and being head of a shinobi family didn't really have all the perks it would've had in years past. Takuma only wondered how his father truly felt about him. Sasuke had never treated Takuma differently once Sosei arrived. They still spent their time together outside of Takuma's genin missions. But, Takuma couldn't help but feel like his father had grown much more proud of Sosei's accomplishments.

In the last two years, Takuma's brother had accomplished a great many things. His involvement in defending Konoha from Yashin's invading force had caused him to be promoted to chunin and after that, his numerous successes on high profile missions caught the Hokage's interest. When he was fifteen, Sosei had been assigned to an ANBU team under the leadership of Komuji Hatake, the son of the famed Copy Cat Ninja, Kakashi Hatake. Sasuke had been proud, beaming with a glow that Takuma hadn't seen since he had graduated at the top of his class at the Academy.

 _Am I jealous of him?_ Takuma thought as he spewed grand fireballs across the lakefront in quick succession. _Is that why I don't want him here?_ Maybe it was that. Sosei's power had gained him recognition in the short time he had been here. People talked of him in the streets. Girls, civilian and shinobi alike, adored him. Even older shinobi were impressed by Sosei. Sosei had everything he wanted...even the Sharingan.

Takuma had tried to find ways for years to activate the dojutsu famed by his clan. But to no avail. He had felt chakra bursts in his body that usually ended with him having headaches, but he had never felt even close to activating it. He had read in the Uchiha clan histories that his father kept about Uchiha who had never activated their Sharingan. Most of them had been either killed as children during wartimes or Uchiha women that had become housewives. Takuma didn't want to be in that position in the history of his clan. He wanted to be a Uchiha and for that, he needed to awaken his Sharingan.

Takuma let loose another grand fireball before he felt himself feel a bit gassed out. The Uchiha panted softly and wiped the sweat from his brow and looked over the lake. The way the sun shined over the water, it looked like the earth was firing its own fire jutsu back at him. It was an incredible sight...

"I counted seven fireballs," a voice called from behind Takuma. The Uchiha turned to see his father standing in front of the glass door to the backyard with his arms folded. "Is that your limit?" Takuma weighed the question like he did most things his father asked him. He didn't want to appear weak. He couldn't afford that. But if he answered too haughtily, his father would surely test him. The truth was the best route.

"Yes, sir," Takuma replied. "I've expanded my limit, though. It was five last month." Sasuke nodded approvingly and his lip curled slightly.

"I remember," he said before unfolding his arms and placing a hand into his pocket. "Well, come on in the house and shower. We're going to be going on a mission today." Takuma perked his ears.

"Ok," he said. He hoped that this so-called "mission" wasn't another low-level genin mission like pulling up weeds or chasing lost pets. When he had just become a genin, Takuma thought that those civil missions were exciting even if they were a tad anticlimactic. Now, at thirteen, Takuma had grown extremely antsy. He and the rest of his team were old enough to register for Konoha's Chunin Exams but he hadn't gone on a real mission yet.

Sasuke raised his head and tipped it towards the house before he turned and walked back inside. Takuma quickly followed his father. Sasuke Uchiha stood in the kitchen and turned slowly when Takuma entered. A blue and white pill left his hand and Takuma caught it. Chakra regeneration. That meant that the mission required him to be on alert. Takuma's green eyes shot up to his father, but when he looked for him, he was gone.

Takuma raced to the shower and made it short but efficient, scrubbing away at every part of his body until he smelled and felt clean and then ran to his room. The young Uchiha slipped into his black high-collar shirt, white shorts, and black sandals. Takuma stood in front of the mirror and looked himself over before tying his headband around his forehead and dipping his head. The Uchiha boy placed a pouch full of weapons on his belt and headed out of his room. The rest of his family was still asleep. His mother would probably wake up later on to get Kichiro and Hikari up for school before she headed to the hospital.

Takuma went to Kichiro's bed and smiled at his younger brother, before he left to meet Sasuke on the porch. His father stood outside with his green Konoha flak jacket with short black sleeves, the Uchiha crest emblazoned on the shoulders. His black arm guards stretched from his bicep to his knuckles and his famous chokuto strapped on his side. When Sasuke turned to Takuma, the boy could see that his father looked like he had been a little lost in thought.

"Ready?" Sasuke asked. Takuma nodded and the two Uchiha headed out. Walking next to his father, Takuma felt absolutely safe. The power he felt in every step that the man took sent chills up the boy's spine. This was his father? The legendary Sasuke Uchiha. Sometimes, Takuma scarcely believed it. He felt a tad jealous that Sosei had gotten to see his father flex his power against Yashin. It must've been a sight to see.

Takuma's thoughts came back to the present and he looked up at his father. "Are Honami and Shōgo meeting us at the Hokage's office?" he asked. Sasuke nodded.

"Honami will be there. We're going to get Shōgo now," Sasuke replied. Takuma nodded and the two walked in silence through the streets of Konoha. Shōgo's house lied in the Isei District of the village, to the west. It was heavily populated area where most of the civilians lived. Takuma had never really ventured to this area before except when he and Honami came to see if Shōgo wanted to go out with them. When the two Uchiha got to Shōgo's row home, Sasuke stepped forward and knocked on the door. The door opened a few moments later and a middle-aged woman opened the door. Her face flushed red when she saw Sasuke and she immediately cleared her throat.

"Uh, Mr. Uchiha..." she said. Sasuke maintained his cool, unflinching face and spoke.

"Hello, Ms. Kazuma. Is Shōgo ready?" the Uchiha asked. Before Ms. Kazuma could answer, Takuma heard Shōgo's voice shout from inside of the house.

"Yes, sensei! I'm coming!" Takuma smiled as he watched his friend run down the hall and stand next to his mother. Ms. Kazuma looked over at her son and then sighed softly before wrapping her arms around him.

"Please be safe, sweetheart," she said. Shōgo narrowed his eyes and pouted out of embarrassment but still hugged his mother back.

"Yeah, yeah, I will," he replied before turning to Takuma and Sasuke. Shōgo raised his thumb and grinned. "Let's go! It's mission time!" he said as he leapt down the steps. Sasuke watched him and glanced over Takuma as if to say, Never do that.

"So, what's the mission?" Shōgo asked Takuma as the two walked behind Sasuke towards the Hokage mansion. Takuma shrugged.

"I don't know. Sensei didn't tell me," he replied. Shōgo put his hands behind his head and gazed up into the sky.

"I hate surprises."

The partially completed Team Sasuke entered the Academy building and headed straight for the administrative section where the Hokage's office was located. As they rounded the corner, Takuma's eyes caught sight of red hair and his heart immediately jumped in his chest. Before he heard her greet them, Takuma knew who it was.

"Sasuke sensei! Shōgo!" she said. When Takuma's green eyes met with the pale pools of the red-haired girl, both genin smiled. "Takuma," she said. The young Uchiha couldn't help but smile. Honami Uzumaki was Takuma's closest friend and the girl he had a crush on for years. In the past two of those years, Honami had matured greatly, growing her vibrant red hair down to her shoulder blades. She had started to grow curves in places that hadn't been there before and Takuma had noticed through careful observation that Honami looked to be larger in those places than even his mother. All of this physical growth had been matched in her shinobi skill and prowess. Takuma had never felt so attracted to anything.

"Are you two ready?" Sasuke's voice cut through Takuma and Honami's stare like his chokuto. Takuma looked back at his father and quickly nodded.

"Yes, sir," he replied. Sasuke walked through the door to the Hokage's office and Team Sasuke followed him.

The Hokage's office was busy as it had been for the last year since Yashin had invaded. Clones rushed around, filling out papers and looking over documents. The real Naruto sat at his desk, perking up when he saw Team Sasuke entering. The three genin stepped forward with Takuma in the center, Shōgo and Honami flanking, and Sasuke in the back. The elder Uchiha stood with his arms folded.

"Naruto," he said. "You have a mission for us?" Takuma sometimes flinched inwardly when he heard his father speak to the Hokage. Takuma had been raised to respect those above and it was a bit odd that Sasuke didn't practice the same thing. He was one of the only people who ever referred to him by his name and not his title, though the two had such a close friendship, the Hokage didn't seem to take it as disrespect.

The blonde Hokage nodded. "Yes, I do. From what the records show, your team hasn't yet had a mission above D-Rank." Naruto stood. "So here's what I have. A representative from the Land of Water is coming to Konoha to meet with me. Your mission is to get to the eastern border quickly and then escort the representative back. Hopefully, there won't be any hiccups along the way." The Hokage smiled. "This a B-rank assignment. You guys think you're up to it?" he asked.

"Hell yeah!" Shōgo exclaimed before freezing and then lowering his balled fist. "S-sorry..." Takuma glanced over at his friend and shook his head while Honami giggled. Narutp grinned and looked up at behind Takuma at Sasuke. The young Uchiha could scarcely hear his father breathe.

"We'll handle it," Sasuke replied coolly. Naruto nodded.

"Good, then head on out."

* * *

 

Sosei stopped beside Komuj as the silver haired shinobi glanced around. His eyes went to Noboru and he motioned signals that the team had practiced. Right now, from what Sosei could see, Komuji was telling the Hyūga to count the number of enemies presently around them. Team Hae had traveled far into the center of enemy territory and had thus far met little resistant, however Sosei suspected that that would change. He felt an eerie presence as he descended deeper and deeper into the trees.

"There are twenty shinobi," Noboru said, his voice barely rising above a whisper. "They're spread out amongst the trees." Komuji nodded and paused to examine the situation. Sosei waited, all the while scanning the area with his Sharingan. Even if Sosei's team did have a Hyūga clansman with virtually 360 degrees of vision present, the young Uchiha didn't want to leave anything to chance.

"We'll split off. Noboru and I will attack the shinobi gathered to the west. Sosei, you and Suzume handle the east," Komuji said. Sosei avoided frowning, though he felt his chakra grow cold. He was stuck with Suzume now. Before he could turn to see Suzume's irritating face, Komuji spoke again. "Be extremely careful. Agato is reported to have a high proficiency for taijutsu techniques. One hit may destroy your bone structure."

Sosei nodded. If that meant that he'd have to take out Agato quickly and before the so-called "Troll" could react, he had the perfect technique in mind. As long as Suzume didn't get in his way with her antics. With a quick dip of his head, Sosei leapt away with Suzume following close behind him. Ascending upwards into the canopy, Sosei only stopped when he thought he heard a sound. Beside him, Suzume paused as well.

"We're being followed," she whispered. So, the enemy had surrounded them? Sosei sensed a surge of chakra, one which Suzume picked up on as well. Before the tree they had climbed began to fall, the two ANBU leapt from its branches as the plant collapsed to the ground. As they fell, they were in the air by nine shinobi, all with scratches on their Kiri headbands.

The last of Yashin's followers.

Six shinobi rebounded off a tree trunk and rushed towards Sosei while the remaining three circled Suzume. Sosei's Sharingan read through the first four shinobi that attacked him and he elegantly dodged them all in mid-air, deflecting their attacks and throwing them away from him. The last two attacked from Sosei's front and back simultaneously.

The young Uchiha had barely milliseconds to react which was all he needed to discharge enough chakra to use a substitution. The two former Kiri shinobi locked their swords into Sosei's replacement and the young Uchiha quickly seized his opportunity.

" _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_!" he shouted as a massive fireball burnt through the canopy towards his enemies. Sosei's attack was loud, hot and bright. There was no need to be secretive now.

One former Kiri shinobi left his sword in the log and escaped while his comrade refused, instead choosing a fiery death. His blood-curdling screams rang out in the forest and Sosei paused. Suzume leapt up next to him and let out a single small breath, before turning to Sosei and smiling lightly.

"You only took care of one?" the girl said. Sosei shot her a sharp glance.

"If you want, you can handle the fodder. I'm going after Agato, wherever he is. If he dies, they'll either scatter or submit," Sosei said. Suzume kept her mouth closed for once and Sosei left the remaining members of Yashin's group to her. He heard one man yell for his comrades to chase him, but he was quickly silenced. Sosei turned and saw that Suzume stood on the branch that Sosei had just previously launched himself from, twirling two ninjato blades in her hands. The young Uchiha could almost see her chakra surge.

She'd be fine without him.

Sosei lowered himself to the ground, cushioning his landing with a small chakra release from his feet. He heard the clanging of blades in the canopies above him. They weren't any battle cries or shouts. This was silent, shadow warfare. The scarlet pinwheels in his eyes scanned the clearing, looking for any sign of his enemy. His peripheral vision caught a massive object flying towards his face and Sosei ducked backwards to avoid it and drew a kunai from his pouch. The Uchiha jabbed his blade forward only for his kunai to break at the tip. The massive object stopped suddenly and Sosei made out a giant man with dark chakra engulfing his fists. Sosei narrowed his eyes.

"Agato," Sosei said. Standing well over seven feet tall, Agato was a massive man. His muscles bulged underneath his black shirt and his nostrils flared as he looked down on Sosei. The Uchiha felt small.

"Agato of the Dark Fist, you little bitch…" Agato growled as he finally seemed to see the Sharingan in Sosei's eyes. His left fist crashed down towards Sosei and the young shinobi flipped away. Agato seethed. "You goddamned Uchiha really are a fucking virus," he said as he brought his fists together. "I will complete Yashin's work and help your clan die out!"

Sosei scoffed. Yet another Uchiha despiser. They never seemed to end. In the entire history of the Uchiha, they had always been feared but in more recent times, people had become bold enough to proclaim that they hated his clan. Fools.

Agato ran forward, faster than Sosei had expected but still too slow. Sosei had enough time to weave together hand seals for a quick diversionary jutsu.

" _Katon: Hosenka no Jutsu_!" Sosei shouted as multiple miniature fire balls burst from his mouth and spread out in the sky. As the flames landed and the smoke built up, Sosei took the opportunity to weave more hand seals. It had taken him the last few months to perfect the technique.

_**Ox.** _

_**Rabbit.** _

_**Monkey.** _

Agato burst through the smoke with anger plastered on his face and his hands covered in black chakra. His snarl deepened on his face and his eyes widened as he began to speak. "I will destroy you, Uchiha! I will kill you! I will shove my fists straight up you—agh!"

The blue-white spark of lightning had formed in Sosei's hand, the Chidori. Sosei's Sharingan spun as it honed in on Agato's large body as he spat his insults and rhetoric. Sosei had heard enough. He rushed forward as the Chidori cried in his left hand. Agato was a tall opponent so Sosei left his feet as he prepared to drive the attack directly into the largest and most open part of Agato's body—his mouth.

Sosei's hand burst through the back of Agato's head. The Dark Fist gagged and Sosei's Sharingan bore into his eyes. "You'll never speak of the Uchiha again," he said. Lightning sparked in his hand again and he ripped his hand to the side, splitting Agato's head open. The massive man fell to the ground, lifeless with his brains spilling out of his mouth.

The young Uchiha shook his hand clean of Agato's blood and listened for the sounds of his comrades. Everything was silent until he heard the cheer of Suzume. With a small sigh, Sosei recognized that he and his team had achieved victory. Sosei prepared to go meet with his teammates and get debriefed by Komuji. But something didn't feel right. Was this the only one of Yashin's remaining high ranked officers? Agato hadn't been much of a challenge at all and he was far too stupid to be of any use to a man like Yashin. Sosei scowled. If this was a trick then where the hell were the real captains?

* * *

 

Takuma's heart fluttered and pounded in his chest. His legs ached and he felt like he was reaching his physical. Since they left Konoha, Sasuke had been pushing their pace like a madman.

"If you can't keep up with me, you don't deserve to be on this mission," Takuma's father had said in his normal, icy tone. It had been made clear to the genin that they were to reach the shore before the Water Daimyō's representative. When he was intended to arrive was the question but none of the genin ever asked. They just followed Sasuke.

As the team moved closer towards the sea, the forests grew thinner and began to open up to grasslands. Without the trees as cover, Team Sasuke reverted to sprinting. Once again, Sasuke easily outpaced his squad and didn't slow his pace for a second to allow them to catch their breath. Takuma and Honami were holding their own, but Shōgo was gasping for breath.

"We should stop," Honami said to Takuma. The Uchiha glanced over at his teammate and then to Shōgo. His friend was sweating profusely and looked to be getting weak. He wondered if he had even eaten in the morning. Takuma's emerald eyes then flashed forward to Sasuke's shrinking figure. If his father was taking the charge, he'd know if anything of concern was nearby. Besides, if Shōgo was incapacitated, it put the mission in jeopardy.

"Yeah, let's do that," Takuma said as he stopped. Honami stopped beside him and her fingers brushed his arm. When Takuma turned to face her, she looked away towards Shōgo who jogged slowly until he reached. The orange haired boy inhaled deeply and put his hands on his knees.

"For the love of fuh...why'd Sensei go so fast ahead of us? He left us in his dust," Shōgo said as he collapsed to the ground.

"He may be pushing forward to search the area. Any threats won't stand a chance against him," Takuma said. Honami nodded.

"His reputation does precede him..." she said. Shōgo narrowed his eyes as his stared into the sky.

"You think anybody that was going to attack the Water Daimyō's representative would expose themselves to Sasuke sensei?" the boy asked. Takuma frowned. As usual, Shōgo had a point. What person in their right mind would attack Sasuke Uchiha?

"Then, do you think that it's a ploy? Or a trap?" Takuma asked. As soon as the words left his mouth, Honami closed her eyes and then burst them open. The Byakugan formed in her eyes and she paused as she took in every sight. Takuma watched her in silent awe.

"This plain is too large. I can't see across the entire area, only up to 300 meters. This plain expands for at least a couple of miles. And we're exposed so, we need to move and find sensei whenever you're ready, Shōgo," Honami said. Shōgo nodded and then exhaled as he rose to his feet. As he did, Takuma saw Honami tense up and turn her head.

"What's wrong?" Takuma asked. The red-haired girl frowned.

"There's three shinobi coming towards us. And fast," she said. Shōgo gulped.

"Are any of them Sasuke sensei?" he asked. Honami shook her head.

"No." Takuma exhaled sharply. So his thoughts had been correct. Someone had been hiding amongst the tall grass and trees and now those shinobi were moving in on them. Takuma's hands went down to his kunai pouch and he draw two into his hands.

"I can see them now," Honami said. "They're starting to spread out into a formation. Two are flanking from the sides. They've seen us too." Takuma looked over at Shōgo. With a single nod and a blink, Takuma knew what Shōgo had planned. Takuma was glad he had practiced spouting out fire balls.

The hand seals came to him quickly and he sucked in air as chakra burned in his chest. " _Katon: Gōkakyū no Jutsu_!" Takuma said as a fireball exited his mouth and hit the grass, spreading quickly over the dried plain. As the orange flames scorched the earth, Takuma saw a shadow leap above them. A sword appeared in its hand and Takuma grit his teeth. Shōgo and Honami closed in around him, creating a tight, three-point formation. Two more shadows appeared from the flames and they circled the three genin. Takuma couldn't make out any kind of village paraphernalia on them. Not a headband or an emblem.

They were rogues.

"Hmph...they're Konoha shinobi," a shadow to the right said, folding his arms. His glowing yellow eyes frightened Takuma.

Another shadow, the one with the sword, came closer, revealing his features. He had medium length black hair and cold light blue eyes that shifted quickly from Honami to Takuma. A small smirk crossed his face. "Half breed Hyūga and a half breed Uchiha from the symbol on his back. How interesting," he said. The third shadow scoffed.

"They're just genin. Nothing fucking interesting about them." The blue-eyed man seemed to consider it for a moment before slowly nodding and sighing.

"I suppose you're right," he replied. "If three genin are out in the middle of a field then I'd wager that their master isn't too much farther off. But, leaving his students exposed is so careless. I despise carelessness. How about-" the man said as his eyes bore into Takuma's. "We show the shepherd why it's ill advised to leave your sheep unguarded when wolves are prowling?" Takuma gasped as the three shinobi began to descend down on he and his team. The young Uchiha heard Shōgo shout.

"Honami, now!" he said. The red-haired daughter of the Hokage began to rotate quickly, chakra leaving every part of her body as she created a wide, defensive dome around Takuma and Shōgo. The pressure and wind ripped around the boys while they were inside, but they still made enough eye contact to know what the next plan of action was. Takuma could only hope that his father had seen the smoke his jutsu had left.

Takuma began to prepare hand seals as Honami stopped spinning. His vision cleared and he could see that the three rogue shinobi had cleared away. That is until they rushed back into his line of sight. The young Uchiha took in a massive breath and then let loose.

" _Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu_!" the boy shouted as fire spheres burst from his mouth as he turned his head. The most they were meant to be were loud, fiery distractions. Something to draw more attention to where they were. Where was his father?!

The blue eyed shadow came forward first, a sadistic smile plastered on his face as he came to Takuma. The foul mouthed female shadow attacked Shōgo and the third stout male shadow attacked Honami. The blue eyed shadow's sword swung at Takuma's head and he brought up his kunai to block the strike. There was more power behind the seemingly halfhearted swing than the young Uchiha had anticipated and he felt his arm fall to his side. Takuma prepared for the blue eyed shadow to strike him with the sword again but instead, the Uchiha met the shadow's fist.

Takuma slid across the ground, kicking up dust as he rolled. The blue eyed shadow burst through the smoke and met Takuma with a knee to his stomach. The young Uchiha coughed and fell to his knees and felt the cool steel of the shadow's sword on his neck. Green eyes met blue as the young Uchiha looked up at the shadow. Blue eyes narrowed.

"Hm...where are they?" the shadow asked. Takuma stared up, perplexed before the shadow continued. "Your Sharingan eyes? Unless...you don't have them." Takuma frowned and the shadow shook his head and sighed. "She was right." The shadow raised his sword. "You aren't interesting at all." The young Uchiha's eyes watched as Shōgo dodged to the side of the female shadow's attacks, throwing explosive tags to create distance between them. His green eyes then flashed over to Honami, who appeared to be holding her own against the stocky shadow. Until, he got one hit on her.

Takuma's eyes widened as Honami's body crumbled to the ground and the shadow raised another hand to hit her again. His teeth bore and he felt something in his head pound. "Honami!" he yelled as he stared up at the blue eyed shadow. Instinct overtook Takuma and without a single hand seal, he felt a fireball erupt from his mouth. It was small and barely substantial but it was enough of a smoke screen to distract the blue eyed shadow as he made his way to Honami and the stout shadow.

He didn't make it far. A sharp pain shot through Takuma's thigh and he collapsed to the ground. It was the blue eyed shadow's sword. Takuma groaned as he crawled forward, his blood leaving a trail behind him and the dirt beginning to compact in his wound. He didn't care he had to get to Honami before the stout shinobi...

The stocky shadow drove another hit into Honami's body, this time drawing blood from her. Takuma stared forward, frozen in shock. He couldn't tell if she was dead or alive...but he knew that he felt something in his head surge and his eyes began to hurt. Something warm dripped down Takuma's cheeks. The boy reached his hand to wipe it away but was surprised to find out what it was/ What the young Uchiha thought was watery tears was in fact his own blood. He was bleeding from his eyes.

The pain didn't stop. Honami didn't move. Shōgo didn't stop yelling.

Takuma's world transformed into a vapid, fuscous sea of night and his own blood.


	2. Questions & Answers

**A/N: Been a little bit, but I think I've established a schedule. Still trying to juggle the POV's and the times they take place. Some may be happening simultaneously so take that into consideration. With that being said, please enjoy and leave a review!**

* * *

 

Kichiro stared out of the window, resting his hands against his cheeks. Children around him talked loudly amongst themselves as they waited for their instructor, Hensou Tomoteki, to arrive. The ten year old Uchiha sighed. Both of his brothers and his father had left for missions before he had even gotten a chance to wish them luck. His mother had explained to he and his sister, Hikari, that shinobi had to leave early on their missions because sometimes they had long distances to travel. Kichiro didn't really believe anything she said. He had seen how fast his father was. He could've waited a few hours to say good bye.

The raven-haired boy slumped in his seat and laid his head back on his chair. When he looked up, his eyes enlarged. A brown haired girl blushed and smiled awkwardly, though she didn't show her teeth. Kichiro stared at her for a few seconds before he collected himself and turned around to face her properly. After quick examination, the young Uchiha realized that he had seen this girl before.

"Hi," Kichiro said with a polite smile. The brown haired girl's cheeks were still rosy red and her purple eyes looked away. She sucked on her bottom lip as her eyes slowly met his.

"H-hi," she replied. Kichiro rested his head on the girl's desk and looked into her eyes. Something about them was oddly alluring. He had never seen anyone with purple eyes before. The girl looked away again and Kichiro blinked. She seemed a little nervous. Maybe he should introduce himself.

"My name's Kichiro Uchiha. What's yours?" the Uchiha said. The girl gulped and sighed softly.

"My name is Setsuka..." The brown haired girl looked away and then back at Kichiro. The young Uchiha watched her wandering eyes.

"Have I seen you before or are you new?" Kichiro asked. Setsuka twiddled her thumbs.

"We've...met before. I know your daddy," she replied. Kichiro smiled.

"Oh, you do? How?" the boy asked. Setsuka's eyes met Kichiro's again and the two children looked at each other. Setsuka finally breathed in a little bit and spoke again.

"The Hokage. He's my adopted dad," she replied. Kichiro blinked and then his mouth opened. He _had_ seen this girl before! She had been with his godfather all this time and he hadn't noticed her? The young Uchiha suddenly felt a strong pang of guilt that he struggled to gulp down. Maybe she had just been extremely quiet like she was now, but for him not to even speak to her? Unacceptable. His mother would hang him for his horrible manners. He'd have to make it up to this girl.

_Setsuka_. It was a pretty name.

As Kichiro looked up at his classmate, he could see that she was pretty as well with her purple eyes. He smiled at her and the purple eyed girl blushed again.

"Do you want to be my friend?" Kichiro asked with a bright face. Setsuka's face was illuminated and Kichiro saw that his question made her happy.

"Yes, I-"

"You don't wanna be friends with an Uchiha," a voice said from the ranks of seats above. Kichiro's eyes and ears tracked the sound to the top of the wooden bleachers. A boy with medium length black hair that dropped to his shoulders gazed upon Kichiro and Setsuka with disdain. His white headband kept his hair from completely covering his eyes, though a bang hung in between them. Kichiro's smiling face turned into an irritated frown.

It was Kataki.

Kataki Egawaru was the top of Kichiro's class, soundly beating the Uchiha's scores after every test. His successes academically had caused the boy to become arrogant and mean-spirited. It didn't help that all the other kids in Kichiro's class essentially idolized Kataki. Even some of the Academy instructors thought that Kataki had the potential to be the next generational genius to come out of Konoha. Kichiro thought otherwise. If there was to be a generational genius among shinobi, it would be his brother, Takuma.

"Why not?" Setsuka responded, breaking the awkward silence that had permeated throughout the room. Kichiro heard Kataki let out a contemptuous guffaw.

"Don't be an idiot, girl! Don't you know that the Uchiha are some of the dirtiest traitors in the history of the shinobi world?" he said as he glared down at Kichiro and smiled. "Just ask Shitchiro's father." Kichiro Uchiha rose from his seat and balled up his fist. Before Setsuka could even try to stop him, the Uchiha had bounded up the bleachers and into Kataki's face. The arrogant boy smirked as Kichiro raised his fist. The Uchiha didn't know why, but soon, he would.

"Kichiro Uchiha! What are you doing?!" a voice boomed from the front of the classroom. Hensou Sensei had returned to the classroom. Kataki's smug face was essentially _pleading_ for Kichiro to punch it. How dare he speak about his father and his clan that way? Traitors? His father had saved the village two years ago. He had saved the world years before Kichiro was even a thought in his parents' minds. How could Kataki be so ignorant? The Uchiha child stared Kataki down until he could feel the eyes of the instructor burning into the back of his head. The young boy turned around and sat in the seat next to Setsuka. The rest of the classroom was silent as Hensou Sensei looked around.

As he had been taught by his mother, Kichiro stood up and bowed his head. "I apologize for my disruption, Sensei. It won't happen again," Kichiro said. He could feel his pride, the flame of the Uchiha, creeping back down his throat. Hensou raised his hand in acknowledgment of the apology then folded his arms. Hensou's warm face looked from Kichiro then to Kataki. The green eyed man blinked.

"Today is Friday. We've covered all of the book material that we needed to this week. So, we will have sparring sessions amongst peers. Everyone, let's head out to the yard!" Hensou Sensei said. Kichiro sighed softly as the rest of the class gathered their things and began to head out. His eyes caught Kataki and his crew of boys as they walked past his bleacher. Kichiro thought he heard them snicker something under their breaths but he said nothing. When he looked to his right, Setsuka was looking at him with a worried expression.

"Do you...want me to wait for you?" the girl asked.

"No," Hensou Sensei's voice traveled from the front of the room, cutting off Kichiro's empty attempt to answer. "You go ahead. I need to talk to Kichiro." Setsuka slowly nodded to the man and exited the row with Kichiro then passed him as they went to the front of the classroom. Setsuka's purple eyes gazed back at Kichiro and before the Uchiha knew it, the girl was gone. Kichiro's black eyes looked up to Hensou and he saw his sensei shake his head. "Kichiro..." he said.

"I know. I shouldn't have gotten in Kataki's face or tried to hit him." The young Uchiha wrinkled his brow. "But he insulted my clan and my father! I won't take that from him or anyone else." Hensou looked down at Kichiro and nodded.

"I understand, Kichiro. But if you are to become a shinobi, you cannot let emotion cloud your senses. What if you are negotiating with an enemy over a peace treaty and they insult you? Would you let your pride rule and risk destroying your entire country or control yourself and work through it? Those are questions you must ask. Shinobi are secret holders. Even your emotions, sometimes, must remain secret." Hensou smiled at Kichiro. It was warm, friendly and inviting as it had always been. Kichiro had only seen such an inviting smile on the face of his godfather, Naruto. His father had never smiled this way. At least not to him.

"Okay," Kichiro said. "I'll try to do better. But under one condition..." Hensou raised an eyebrow and Kichiro grinned. "Let me spar against Kataki." Hensou chuckled and placed his hand on Kichiro's head.

"That was already the intention. Now, come on." Kichiro nodded and followed Hensou outside to the yard. An opening clearing where the trees near the Academy building parted, the yard had a single dirt patch where generations of shinobi before Kichiro had sparred. He had heard stories of how his godfather and father had fought here before with Sasuke Uchiha consistently defeating the Hokage when they were children. Kichiro was determined to keep that tradition going. He was Uchiha after all.

"Are you in trouble?" Setsuka whispered. Kichiro turned to her and smiled.

"Nope," he replied. "Just wait. You'll see." The two Academy students looked forward as Hensou stood in front of the class and began to speak.

"As you all know, traditional sparring matches are tests of your skill and resolve. When you step forward, you must make the Seal of Confrontation and once the person who hits the ground first rises back to his feet, you must make the Seal of Reconciliation. Are we understood?" Hensou said. When the class nodded, Hensou folded his arms. "Will the first combatants please step forward...Kichiro Uchiha and Kataki Egawaru."

Kichiro turned to Setsuka and the brown-haired girl bit her lip. "G-good luck," she said. Kichiro grinned.

"Thanks," he said. With a swift exhale, Kichiro stepped forward into the dirt square where Kataki and Hensou stood. Kataki flexed and rotated his wrist, smirking the entire time as Kichiro stepped forward. The young Uchiha slowly brought his fingers up to form the Seal of Confrontation and Kataki mirrored him. Hensou raised his hand and brought it down quickly.

"Begin."

Kataki shot forward like a rocket and Kichiro was forced into the defensive, backing away as Kataki pressed him with quick and powerful punches and kicks. It was in these moments that Kichiro realized one thing for certain. He was rusty. Since his father and older brothers had been on constant missions around the clock, no one had taken the time out to spar with him. His mother worked at the Konoha Hospital or handled Hikari while Kichiro was left alone. Everything about his fighting mechanics was off. His reaction time was poor. Though he managed to block Kataki's blows, he couldn't react fast enough to counter. If his father were to witness his performance now, Kichiro couldn't even imagine the punishment he'd receive.

Kichiro was backpedaling now, circling Kataki as he continued to strike out at him. The young Uchiha shot out an exhale and waited for Kataki to leave his feet again. He couldn't lose now. Not after the way Kataki had disrespected his father and his people. With a single burst of chakra from his feet, Kichiro propelled forward and swung a fist at Kataki. Kataki's forward momentum drove the boy directly into contact with Kichiro's knuckles.

Kataki staggered, but he didn't fall.

Instead, Kataki struck out with his own punch. The power behind it shook Kichiro to his knees and awakened something in his stomach. Kataki stared at Kichiro in shock as the young Uchiha smirked and wiped the blood that trickled from his mouth. Kataki then shook his head and frowned. The arrogant boy rushed forward again and dropped his shoulder at the last second, catching Kichiro off guard. The breath left the Uchiha's body and in the brief moment that he was stunned, Kataki swept Kichiro's legs from underneath him. The Uchiha fell to the ground and before he could even attempt to stop himself, Kataki was over him with his fist to Kichiro's nose.

"You're done," the boy said. Hensou stepped forward and placed his arm in between them. Kichiro closed his eyes and squeezed them. What had happened to him? Had Takuma ever been beaten this badly at his age? Had Sosei? Had his father? His uncle Itachi was a chunin when he was ten. His ancestors would be ashamed of him.

"Combatants, perform the Seal of Reconciliation." Kichiro looked up at Hensou and then at Kataki. The boy cracked his knuckles and reached out his hand. His fingers curled in the seal and he stood waiting for Kichiro. The young Uchiha boy frowned. He didn't want to perform the stupid seal. There was no point in feigning reconciliation. Kichiro didn't anything that Kataki had said though, for honor's sake, he felt that he had to.

Sighing, the youngest of Sasuke's sons stepped forward and curled his index and middle finger to perform the seal. Kataki stared into Kichiro's eyes as they performed the Seal, his eyes spitting venomous jeers at the Uchiha. With a frown, Kichiro quickly pulled his fingers away and stalked away, pushing through the crowd of children that surrounded the dirt square. He thought he heard Setsuka's soft voice call out to him, but he ignored it. As far as Kichiro was concerned, class was over for him.

Hensou Sensei made no attempt to get after the Uchiha boy and Kichiro smirked as he bounded down the streets away from the yard. Leaping, Kichiro climbed the side of a building and flipped onto the roof. The Uchiha took in a breath of fresh air and smiled. He hated school. Nothing he did ever seemed to impress his father or his brothers. While his mother often offered him encouragement, rarely did she spend quality time with him. Her focus was always on either Hikari or hospital work.

Kichiro sighed as he sat down on the roof and looked over the entire village of Konoha. Up here, Kichiro could see everything. People hustled and bustling downtown, merchants taking their carts through the streets and civilian children playing games in alleys. The Uchiha child almost jumped to his feet to head down and play with them but he held back. He wasn't sure if he even wanted to be bothered. He would feel elite beating civilian kids his age but that euphoria would be short-lived.

The Uchiha child leaned against the side of another building, shielded from the sun by a billboard sign advertising the Ichiraku Ramen Bar. Kichiro yawned and closed his eyes as he rested his his hands behind his head. Within a few minutes, the Uchiha boy was asleep and dreaming.

In his dreams, Kichiro stood on mountaintops, favored under the Sharingan eyes of his father. He ran and played with his older brothers, finishing missions of the highest rank and fighting powerful enemies that threatened his home. He and his brothers were equals, in fact, all of his siblings were equal, Hikari included. In Kichiro's dream, she was a kunoichi stronger and faster than their mother, with healing jutsu that activated automatically and consumed very little chakra. Grandiose and perfect, Kichiro's dreams kept him bound in his sleep until his biological clock suddenly jostled him from his rest.

When Kichiro came to, he was shocked to see that the sun was beginning to set. If he didn't get home soon, his parents would begin to worry. That is, if they hadn't already went to his school only to hear from Hensou that he had ditched class after being defeated in a sparring match. He didn't know which story his father would dislike hearing more.

The young Uchiha leapt to the streets below and made his way home. Kichiro weaved through the crowded streets of Konoha and raced to the outskirts of town where his family estate was. As he came down the path, Kichiro noticed that none of the lights were on inside or outside of the house. Nobody had been home since he, his mother and sister had left. Kichiro slowed his pace as he made it to his porch and pulled his key from his pocket as he unlocked the front door.

Light stretched forward, splitting the darkness in twain. Silence permeated throughout the entire living room and Kichiro stood in the middle of it after he closed the door.

"Mom? Daddy?" he called. There was no answer. "Sosei? Takuma?" There was no answer. Kichiro sighed softly and walked to his room and laid down on his bed. Nobody was home. Nobody bothered to leave him a note or even look for him. Kichiro didn't know what was going on with his family. Why weren't they home? Kichiro sighed and turned in his bed towards the wall. Here he was, once again, living the same feeling that he felt.

**Loneliness.**

* * *

 

Lights flashed.

Voices echoed.

Images raced across his line of sight.

Pain shot through his entire body, never ending even when he blinked his eyes.

What the hell was this?

Takuma laid in his hospital bed. Machines and monitors stood around him like mechanical guardians. The beeps of the devices echoed in the dead silence of his room. Thoughts of Honami rushed into his mind, images of seeing her fallen replaying in his mind. Takuma silently pleaded that everyone on his team had made it out ok.

The boy winced. His head still pounded. It hurt him to even blink. He could barely move. What was happening to him?

The Uchiha had felt so close. He had grasped power but it had been a gaseous illusion between his fingers. He could feel the chakra surging in hs head to his eyes right before the pain began. He didn't know what the flow had been but instinct told him that it was the Sharingan. All of his life, he had dreamt of the day that he'd obtain the same eyes as his father and the Uchiha that had come before him. But now, he had nothing at all besides a headache and bleeding eyes.

What did it mean? Could it mean that he had in fact awakened the Sharingan? Takuma had never heard or read of any instances where awakening the dojutsu caused bleeding. There had been numerous causes of Uchiha overexerting themselves to the point that their eyes bled and they eventually lost their sight. Was Takuma the first recorded case of bleeding whilst awakening? Part of the boy hoped that was the case but within him, he knew that it was not.

Moving his eyes hurt more than blinking, but when Takuma caught sight of movement from his peripheral, he looked towards it. Outside of his room, his parents and a doctor stood. The doctor was a male with black hair and pale eyes like Honami's. A Hyūga. Takuma watched as the three conversed and tried his hardest to listen or read their lips. The strain hurt him and instead, he simply watched their body language.

As the doctor talked, Takuma saw his mother's hand come to her mouth while his father's arm went to her side. The pink haired kunoichi turned towards Takuma's father and buried her face into his chest. Takuma had never been very good at reading his father's face or his emotions, but for once in his life, Takuma could clearly tell that his father was upset. Not angry. But saddened. The last time Takuma could remember seeing his father look this way was when he was very young and his mother had said something about the Hokage and his wife losing "their Precious".

Whatever news they had just received was horrible and Takuma knew without a doubt that it was about him.

Takuma's parents continued speaking with the doctor briefly before they all turned and headed towards his room door. As the wooden doorway opened, Takuma's eyes met his parents' and he felt his mouth curl into a smile. A weak one but a smile nonetheless. Takuma's mother looked as if she was going to burst into tears while his father looked more sullen than Takuma had ever seen him. The Hyūga doctor approached the boy and smiled softly.

"Hello, Takuma. My name is Dr. Hakase Hyūga," the man said. "How are you feeling?" Takuma blinked then winced.

"Not too good. Everything really hurts, especially my head," the young Uchiha replied. Dr. Hakase nodded.

"Ok," he said before sighing. "Well, Takuma. I have some news for you." Takuma gulped.

"Is my team ok? Did Shōgo and Honami make it?" Takuma asked looking from the doctor to his father. Sasuke Uchiha nodded slightly. That was enough to sate Takuma. Dr. Hakase nodded.

"Your team is fine. Shōgo Kazuma got a few scratches and bruises and young Lady Honami was paralyzed from the attacks she suffered, but everyone is up and walking now." Takuma breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. Everyone had survived their first real mission. "Are you ready for the news concerning you?" Dr. Hakase asked. Takuma slowly shook his head.

"Yes, sir."

Dr. Hakase paused and exhaled. "During our examination when your father brought you in, we healed a number of injuries and to make there wasn't any further internal damage, I used the Byakugan to scan over your body. Wwe were particularly worried about head injuries because you appeared to be bleeding from your eyes. What I found was that you have a massive blockage of chakra in your occipital lobe, the part of your brain that deals directly with your eyes. For Uchiha, this is also the part of the brain where the chakra that activates your Sharingan is located.

Because of the blockage, when your Sharingan was getting ready to release, too much pressure built in that part of your brain and an artery in your brain began to leak from your eyes. As a person, you shouldn't be too affected by it. You may have a few headaches every now and then but they should subside in a few hours. However, as a shinobi, you have to be extremely careful that you don't try to activate the Sharingan."

"W-why not?" Takuma asked softly, the shock of the news hitting him in the chest. Dr. Hakase's pale eyes stared into Takuma's.

"Because the next time you attempt to activate your Sharingan, you may suffer from a brain aneurysm, have a cerebral hemorrhage and die within minutes," Dr. Hakase said. When Takuma gawked, the Hyūga clansman proceeded. "I know that I'm being rather blunt, but I want you to know how serious your condition is. This is life or death," the Hyūga man said as he looked down at Takuma.

The young Uchiha's eyes went to the wall as he tried desperately to process what he had just heard. He could never awaken the Sharingan and if he did manage to do so, he'd die within minutes? That was it? He'd never have the same eyes as his father? He'd never copy ninjutsu, anticipate the movements of his opponents and improve his strength? His hopes were dashed. Without a Sharingan, he'd never be worthy of being his father's heir.

He wasn't even worthy of being Sasuke Uchiha's son.

That thought alone brought tears to Takuma's eyes and he shut them as both the physical and emotional pain began to tear into him.

"I'm a _failure_! _**A diseased, broken failure**_!" Takuma sobbed. He repeated it again and again. He sensed his parents move closer to him and he felt his mother softly hushing his cries like he was a baby again. His father's powerful hands laid gently on his forehead and Takuma could feel a calm come over him.

"Everything will be ok, love," his mother cooed as she often did when he was younger. Takuma's father stood next to his mother and rubbed the boy's head. His father then spoke with a voice warmer than Takuma had ever heard him speak with.

"You are not a failure," Sasuke said. "You are my son and nothing changes that, not this or anything else. Do you understand me?" Takuma looked up and saw something odd on his father's face. A gentle smile. "Go to sleep," Sasuke said. The calming sensation on Takuma's forehead slowly caused him to feel drowsy. He blinked up again to see if his father was actually still smiling and he was. For Takuma, seeing that was worth the pain of looking up.

* * *

 

"How much further is it? My feet are swollen!" Sosei turned to Komuji and the silver haired man glanced back to the Water Daimyō's blue garbed emissary.

"We'll be there soon. The gate is just up ahead," he replied. The emissary sighed loudly and fixed his clothes. Sosei Uchiha groaned inwardly and closed his eyes to reserve his emotions. After eliminating Yashin's rebels, Sosei and the rest of Team Hae made a sweep through the forest before they tried to return home. Instead of doing that, they spotted Sosei's father, Sasuke Uchiha in the middle of plains with all three of his genin down and unconscious, including Sosei's younger brother, Takuma.

"I need to take them back to the village immediately. Can someone from your team wait for the Water Daimyō's messenger to arrive?" Sasuke had asked. Noboru and Suzume had taken the red haired daughter of the Hokage and the orange and blue clad boy along with Sasuke while Komuji and Sosei had waited for the messenger. The sniveling, whiny bastard hadn't stopped complaining the entire journey back.

Two things plagued Sosei's mind and as he thought on them, he realized that they might've started to connect. After fighting and easily killing Agato and the shinobi that followed him, Sosei pondered on how such a weak man could be of any use to Yashin. Sosei hated Yashin. Even in death, the pain that the masked man had inflicted on Sosei's life had left him sleepless or screaming from nightmares. But Sosei could not deny that the man had been a man with purpose and did not seem to be a man who would surround himself with weak trash.

Then, there was the fact that his younger brother and his entire team had been taken out and that their assailants had miraculously escaped his father's sights and grasps. For both Team Hae and Sasuke Uchiha to not detect them, Sosei suspected that they had to be powerful and especially stealthy shinobi. Yashin had managed to sneak an entire army into Konoha without setting off a single alarm so Sosei was barely surprised his subordinates had given his father the slip.

What worried Sosei the most was the identities of these shinobi and why they had attacked his brother's team. None of the genin seemed to be fatally wounded although the Hokage's daughter seemed to be paralyzed and Takuma unconscious and bleeding from his eyes. The attack couldn't have been premeditated or else the genin would've been killed. Maybe, the assault was on a simple whim and when they suspected that Sasuke was returning, they didn't stop to finish the job.

Whoever the shinobi were that had done his brother harm, Sosei would see to it that they were found. Not alone had they wronged his family, but they may be the captains that the Hokage had sent Team Hae to kill in the first place. Their mission was still incomplete.

Konoha's gates appeared over the hill and the Water emissary let out a sigh of relief.

"Praise the gods above. We're here," he said. Sosei shot Komuji an annoyed glance and the Hatake man chuckled softly. As they approached the gate, Rock Lee leapt from the lookout tower down to the ground.

"Greetings, travelers!" the man said excitedly. He quickly looked over them, gazing into the eye holes of their porcelain masks. Sosei flashed his Sharingan as Lee looked into his eyes and the man backed away quickly with a startled look on his face. "Very well. Proceed," he said. Sosei pushed past while Komuji raised his hand.

"See you later, Lee," he replied. Walking with the Water Emissary wore down on Sosei's patience. All the Uchiha wanted to do was see the Hokage for his debriefing and go observe the damage done to his brother, as well as ask his father how the hell he allowed enemies to slip past him. That was sure to make for an exhilarating conversation.

Sosei walked with Komuji as the two of them escorted the Water Emissary. The royal messenger expressed his "oohs" and "aahs" at Konoha's architectural advancements since his last visit, a detail Sosei didn't bother to try to listen to. Komuji, on the other hand, entertained the Emissary's chatter with casual conversation in his laziest voice. Sosei was amazed at his captain's patience. He admired it. But it didn't stop him from being annoyed.

The chatter droned in Sosei's head until the three of them made it to the Academy building. Sosei half expected to see Kichiro playing in the yard with his classmates, but the distinctive spiky black hair of his brother never caught Sosei's eye. However, someone else did.

"Sosei! Sosei!" a quiet voice squealed from the yard. Sosei saw a brown-haired girl scamper across the grass towards him. Her large purple eyes looked up at him and two of her sharp teeth protruded from her mouth. The Uchiha chuckled softly at the girl and poked her forehead as she closed in on him.

"Joji," Sosei said affectionately, though in a level, calm tone that normally his father would adopt. Regardless, the little brown-haired girl, whose real name was Setsuka, responded with a higher level of affection. She grabbed Sosei by his waist and smiled up at him.

"I missed you, niisan. Where'd you go this time? Why haven't you come to visit me?" she asked. Sosei patted her head and gave her a small smile.

"Where I went is confidential. A secret that you don't have to worry about. And, I'll take you out for ramen or something tomorrow after your classes," Sosei said. Setsuka nodded.

"Okay...wait, can I bring a friend with me?" Sosei raised an eyebrow and turned to where Komuji and the Water Emissary stood, except they were no longer there. Komuji was gone. Sosei turned back to the girl and sighed.

"You want me to take you out on a date? With who?" At that question, Setsuka twiddled her thumbs and gulped.

"A boy...named Kichiro," she replied. Sosei gawked. Did she really mean...?

"My _brother_?" he asked. Setsuka nodded quickly. Sosei ran his fingers through his black hair and sighed softly. He couldn't begin to explain how screwed it sounded to have his adopted sister going on a date with his half-brother. _What kind of backwater shit..._ "Ok, since I haven't been by in a while, I'll take you and Kichiro for some ramen. I'll just have to ask the Hokage and your instructor how you're doing first. Deal?" Sosei asked.

Setsuka grinned, though her lips never parted. Sosei knew why. She shared her father's genes after all. "Ok, niisan," she said. Sosei smirked.

"Alright, Joji. Scram," Sosei turned away from the girl and entered the Academy building. He moved quickly. Team Hae and the Hokage were probably upstairs now waiting for him to arrive for the debriefing. The sooner Sosei got that out of the way, the sooner he could go check on his brother and question his father.

Confirming Sosei's suspicions, the Nara clan head, Shikamaru stood outside of the Hokage's office with his arms folded. His face looked as uninterested and bored as it always had been and the man gave Sosei a curt nod.

"They're waiting," he said. Sosei dipped his head.

"Figured."

When Sosei opened the door, he was greeted by the faces of Team Hae. Suzume's annoying smile, Noboru's quiet stare and Komuji's lazy eyes. The Hokage sat at his desk with an uncharacteristically sullen look on his face. Sosei suspected that it had to do with his daughter. The blonde man's blue eyes shot up to Sosei and nearly stopped the young Uchiha in his tracks with their ferocity. The Hokage's emotions didn't seem to be angled towards him though. He was upset at whoever had done his only child harm.

"Now that you're all here," Naruto said as he sighed. "Talk." Komuji cleared his throat and Sosei listened as he went through the mission details.

"We reached the forest in front of the Emissary's landing and encountered twenty shinobi loyal to Yashin, one of them being a suspected captain in his army. Sosei dispatched him and the rest of the shinobi were handled by Noboru and myself. There were no survivors," Komuji said. Naruto glanced over to Sosei and the Uchiha looked back.

"Are you sure that this captain is dead?" the Hokage asked. Sosei nodded.

"I put a Chidori through his mouth and sliced through the side of his head. The parts of his brains that weren't fried came out of his mouth in a red heap. I'm very sure he's dead," he replied. The Hokage shook his head and then brought his hands down to his desk.

"Then...can someone explain to me how the hell Sasuke's genin team were attacked if you cleared out every single enemy?" he demanded, his voice rising to a volume that startled even Shikamaru. Sosei looked around the office. His teammates were silent, looking at Naruto nervously. Rarely did the Hokage express anger, but the injuries his daughter sustained must've prompted this. When nobody else offered an answer, Sosei inhaled then exhaled.

"What if...they were the captains that you actually sent us to kill?" Sosei asked. Komuji turned to Sosei and the two shinobi exchanged a quick glance. Naruto sat in silence. He must've been fuming. "The man that I killed, Agato...he didn't seem to be a shinobi that Yashin would install in a leadership capacity. He was stupid and arrogant. Yashin was meticulous and secretive," Sosei said.

"So, you're saying that whoever attacked Sasuke's group was Yashin's actual captain?" Shikamaru asked from the corner. Sosei nodded.

"Yes. The group of shinobi we fought wouldn't have given my brother or his team any issues." Naruto sighed sharply and closed his eyes.

"We need to know for sure what happened..." he said as he rubbed his temples. Sosei nodded.

"When I go to see my brother, I'll speak to my father about it," he said. Naruto stood up and walked towards Sosei and the exit to his office.

"No. _**We'll**_ speak to him about it."


	3. Discovery

**A/N: Apologies for the delay. College is definitely kicking my ass in a big way. Midterms are next week and I've got lots of stuff to do, but I managed to put some writing time in. I hope you all enjoy!**

**\--**

The hospital was like a foreign land to Sosei. The sounds annoyed and frightened him. Everything smelled so sterile and lifeless. He had only been injured badly enough to come here once. He had tried to perform Chidori and on his first attempt, he had nearly destroyed his left arm. The lightning chakra redirected itself to his chest and almost struck him in the heart. His younger brothers rushed him to the hospital and Sakura had quickly healed the damage he had done to himself. Sosei stayed for a few days and went back to training himself to use Chidori. He never hurt himself using it again.

The young Uchiha walked alone through the hospital. The Hokage, like any decent father, had immediately gone to check on his daughter when he entered the hospital. He hadn't even spared time to create a clone to go with Sosei as he normally did when he wanted to be two places at once. Fatherly love and concern had overridden his mind, it appeared. Sosei wondered if his father ever found himself so controlled by his fatherly instincts, that he abandoned all of his sense. Perhaps years ago when Yashin's presence presented a threat to his family, but certainly not now. If that were the case, Takuma wouldn't be in a hospital room now.

Sosei rounded the corner and saw the distinctive pink hair of his stepmother, Sakura. Her head bobbed up and down as she talked with a dark haired man dressed in a white coat. Interested, Sosei shifted his eyes into the Sharingan, reading their lips as he slowly made his way down the hallway.

 _"You want to perform surgery?"_ the doctor mouthed. Sakura nodded.

 _"Not immediately, of course. I'll need time to study Takuma's brain as well as his chakra network. I was hoping that you'd help me,"_ she said. The doctor's face looked inquisitive and then it seemed that a slight revelation touched his visage.

 _"The Byakugan,"_ he replied.

 _"Yes. I'll need to know where exactly the problem lies. After that, I can properly determine what techniques I'll need to use."_ The doctor rubbed his chin and then nodded.

 _"I'll help you in any way that I can,"_ he said. Sakura smiled and turned. As she did, Sosei's eyes reverted to their dark gray color. When Sakura saw him, her smile remained. It was more a face of relief. They met in the middle of the hall and Sakura's touch surprised Sosei. The pink-haired woman squeezed Sosei in a hug, tighter than he had ever received from her before.

Sakura was not without affection but Sosei noticed that most of her warmth towards him seemed forced or not as genuine as her affection towards her children. Though Sakura had accepted him into the family and had shown him kindness, Sosei had never felt like she valued him. He often held her in a similar regard. Sakura was not his mother and though she had never really tried, she could never try to replace her in his life. They had tolerated each other's presence in a way. Sometimes, Sosei felt that she might have even loathed him.

Sosei had felt that way until now. Something about Sakura's hug had emotion and weight behind it as if she was genuinely happy to receive him. When she pulled away, her green eyes met Sosei's gray.

"Are you ok?" she asked. Sosei slowly nodded, still bewildered from the hug. Sakura chuckled softly and shook her head, running her hand through her hand. "I'm sorry," she said. "It's just…with all that's happening…"

"I understand," Sosei said, though he didn't. His response was enough to cut through the awkward tension enough for him to continue speaking. "How is my little brother?" he asked. The pink-haired kunoichi sighed softly.

"He's unconscious right now." Sakura paused as if she was contemplating her next words.

Sosei broke the silence. "I heard that he was bleeding from his eyes. But how did any of that happen? What was he doing?" There was another pause. Sosei's eyes searched Sakura's face and the woman looked as if she was staring into them, lost or confused. Her sudden stiffness, followed by her quick breath gave Sosei pause. Sakura gulped lightly. Had Sosei's gaze frightened her the way it had the first time they had locked eyes?

"He…he was trying to activate his Sharingan," Sakura whispered. "Or rather, his body tried to activate it. From what I could gather, Honami was badly injured. Takuma must have thought that she died so the natural Uchiha reaction was for his Sharingan to try and activate. But…"

Sosei dipped his head. "Instead, his eyes bled." The young Uchiha placed his hands in his pockets as his mind wondered off a bit. He remembered feeling the intense pain in his head when he saw his mother lying dead before him. The same pain his father must have felt when he saw his parents slain. The same pain Takuma might've felt seeing the Hokage's daughter paralyzed and apparently dead. Yet, his Sharingan refused to show itself. Why?

Sakura had mentioned something about analyzing Takuma's brain and chakra network. Whatever the issue with Takuma was, it was there. To work on Takuma's chakra network, Sakura would need deft hands and clear sight. One mistake and she could cut through Takuma's occipital lobe, leaving him blind or worse. The Uchiha must have encountered this issue before in the past. Sosei didn't know if he trusted an extreme form of surgery. Perhaps, there was an alternative…

" **Where is he?** " a voice accompanied by a gush of wind said. Sakura blinked and Sosei felt the broad shoulders of the Hokage brush past him.

"Who?" Sakura asked. Naruto frowned.

"Sasuke," he replied. Sakura slowly shook her head.

"I don't know. The last time I saw him, he said he was heading towards Shōgo's room and…"

"Never mind," Naruto interrupted. With an uncharacteristically serious face, Naruto sighed. "I found him." The blonde Hokage disappeared in a puff of smoke. A clone. The original or another clone must've found Sasuke.

 _I wonder if he'll still uphold his statement. That_ **we'll** _speak to him._ Sosei thought. He could always attempt to track them both down. But he'd only do it after he saw his brother.

"Do you mind if I go in to see him?" the young Uchiha asked. Sakura looked at him and then shook her head.

"No, no. Go ahead," she said. As Sosei started to walk away, Sakura brushed his arm. Gray eyes met green again. "Will you be alright? You two alone?" Sosei smirked.

"He's unconscious. Even if he was awake, I doubt little brother will try and fight me in his state," Sosei said. He left Sakura silent and entered Takuma's hospital room. The sterile smell made Sosei silently wretch. The beeping noises irritated him. His brother's soft breaths brought him back. Sosei circled Takuma's bed and carefully examined his younger brother. He still had a few scars around his arms. The scars that were on his face were healed and practically invisible now. Bandages wrapped around his forehead. Stuck in a hospital bed all because his father hadn't been there to protect him. And neither had his Uchiha blood.

It was pitiful, really. Sosei despised seeing Takuma down, lying on his back. He was used to their sparring sessions in the morning and his little brother's determined expression as he attempted to best him. A few times, Takuma had surprised him. Only once had he ever come truly close. Sighing inwardly, Sosei sat at Takuma's beside and rested his face in his hand.

His younger brother lay hospitalized by the inability to access the very power that was his by right. In truth, it wasn't fair at all. Takuma should never have been put in that position. If only Team Hae had gone after the three real remaining captains from Yashin's group, none of this would have happened. Hell, if his father had been with his team instead of away, Takuma would have been fine.

Sosei stood to his feet and looked down at his brother. Whatever the reason for Takuma's current situation, there were only three people now that could answer his questions. As Sosei looked up, he saw two of them standing at the door. Bandaged up and limping slightly, Sosei's teammates entered the hospital room. Shōgo, Takuma's friend that he lauded as a "genius" and the Hokage's daughter, Honami, stopped when they saw Sosei inside. The girl's hair was long and red, just a shade darker than his mother's. Her eyes were pale and milky, denoting her Hyūga lineage. Sosei had never talked to her. All he knew was that Takuma had a healthy bit of interest in her. If nothing else, Sosei could say that she was pretty.

"Hello," Honami said, politely. Her eyes shifted from Sosei down to Takuma. Her gaze was slightly worried and it reflected in her voice. "Is he okay?" Sosei feigned a smile.

"He's fine. Just asleep because of the medicine that he received," he replied. "Were you coming to sit with him? I've got to go." Honami and Shōgo nodded.

"Yeah, we were hoping he'd be awake by now, but I guess not," the orange-haired boy said. Sosei's feigned smile remained on his face.

"Well, when he does wake up, I'm sure he'll be happy to see your faces," he said. Happier than he'll ever be seeing mine. With those words, Sosei dipped his head and walked past Takuma's teammates towards the door. As he approached the doorway, he heard the chair slide against the floor and turned his head fractionally to see what was going on. Honami sat closer to Takuma's bedside now and her hand softly stroked Takuma's cheek. She took his hand in hers and kissed it softly. She sounded like she was either sobbing or praying.

Sosei left the room and proceeded down the hallway. He planned on finding his father and the Hokage, but instead found himself wandering and wondering around the hospital. The way that Honami had taken to Takuma's side and showed such affection towards him replayed again and again in his mind.

Who would come to him if he were to ever end up in the hospital? His father would probably be the first to come, though not immediately. Kichiro and Hikari would beg to come with him. Sakura and Takuma would be among the last. His own team would be at his side. Komuji would sit casually in the corner for a few minutes before he was called out on another assignment. Suzume and Noboru would probably come and sit. Suzume's incessant talking would completely destroy any chances of Sosei sleeping while hospitalized. Maybe, the Hokage would send a clone to check up on him as he did with most Konoha shinobi. But other than the obvious, there was no one else.

Sosei had no friends. The closest thing he had to a friend was Captain Komuji and he considered him more of a light mentor than an actual friend. His siblings were too young and one of them loathed him. Whatever time he had between missions and sleeping, he spent training his body and learning. He had committed himself fully to the shinobi life, forsaking everything that he felt would hold him back…but had he also sacrificed his humanity?

The young Uchiha shook his head clear. No. Emotion and attachments were stumbling blocks. He remembered the pain he had felt when his mother died. He refused to experience that again, even if it granted him power. If he needed to sacrifice his humanity in order to become a better shinobi and escape his pain, he'd do so.

 **Or could he?** Despite what he told himself, he didn't think he could possibly make that call. He could attempt to but he knew it'd be a futile fight. Especially since he now sought to assist his injured brother.

Sosei continued his mission to find the Hokage and his father and his search led him outside of the hospital. Sosei heard nothing and could see nothing. Wherever his father had gone, only Naruto knew where and once his clone disappeared, the Hokage was completely gone. Annoyed, Sosei gave up his search and turned his sights towards home. His body was tired and the food pills that he had taken earlier in the morning were wearing off. He wanted food and he was sure there was something in the refrigerator that he could devour before or while he tried to help Takuma.

Sosei strode through the streets of Konoha with an Uchiha's confidence and his hands casually sitting in his pocket. His stomach growled only once from the time he left the hospital to the moment he finally reached the entrance to the Uchiha Estate. Sosei stalked up the porch steps and whipped out his keys to unlock the front door. When he entered the house, Sosei removed his shoes and then went straight to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. A bowl of rice met him when he bent over to look on the shelf. The Uchiha took the bowl out and searched for the fried catfish that Sakura made last night. His perceptive eyes found it and he snatched it out. Sosei swirled around the rice in the bowl and sprinkled water into it and put it inside of the microwave. The catfish, Sosei placed in the oven for a quick convection. After a few minutes, his meal was done and Sosei placed the catfish into the middle of the rice after chopping it up with his chopsticks.

Sosei walked from the kitchen and chewed his food contently. His feet led him to his father's library. Every book dealt with an aspect of shinobi life, from basic chakra lessons to advanced jutsu theory as well as historical battles. However, on the top shelf, hidden away, was the entire history of the Uchiha clan. Sosei set his bowl down on his father's desk and focused chakra to his feet. He then walked up the wall to the top of the bookcase and retrieved the thick book, flipping down once he had it.

With chopsticks in one hand, Sosei flipped the book open with the other. His fingers track to the well-worn page that detailed the functions of the Sharingan. Sosei's eyes looked quickly for a single word.

_Transplant._

The book went on to reference Komuji's father, Kakashi as well as another shinobi named Danzo. As Sosei continued to read on, he found another passage.

"The Sharingan, naturally, can be transplanted between members of the Uchiha clan. If given to a living member, the two clan members will share sight. However, in order to access the full power of the Sharingan, a wielder must have both eyes."

Sosei frowned and filled his mouth with rice and catfish. He couldn't give his Sharingan to Takuma without sacrificing some of his own power. He also doubted that Takuma would want to be able to see what Sosei had seen in his life. But his were the only Sharingan that he could think to give his brother. Their father's eyes were far too powerful for Takuma to handle.

Sosei sighed and closed the book. As he lifted it and prepared to climb back up the side of the wall, he mishandled it and the giant Uchiha chronicle fell on the ground. When it landed open, Sosei's eyes widened slightly. If there had been any damage to it, Sasuke would have his head. The young Uchiha quickly dropped to the ground and attempted to gather the book. He turned it over and briefly looked over it, examining it for damage. After he was done, he was about to close it, but something caught the Uchiha's eye. There was a map that marked an area between Takigakure, the Village Hidden by a Waterfall and Otogakure, the former base of infamous terrorist and one of the old Sannin, Orochimaru.

Sangaku no Hakaba, the Mountain Graveyard. Sosei continued flipping through the pages and found that the Mountain was marked under the recorded profile of Madara Uchiha and referenced again under the profile of Obito Uchiha, as a hideout and base. The ink speaking on the base was invisible to Sosei's naked eyes. There was a massive white space above and below the map.

The young Uchiha narrowed his eyes. If it was invisible to his regular eye and written by an Uchiha, perhaps he could see more using his Sharingan. Sosei activated his eyes and immediately, a few of the words became clear to him.

_Lab._

_Entrance._

_Hidden._

_Fallen._

_Uchiha._

_Shar…_

"Sosei, what're you doing?"

Sosei felt his heart jump a bit as he was drawn away from the reading. He whirled around to see his father…only in a child form. Kichiro stood at the door wiping his eyes and yawning.

"What are you doing home?" Sosei asked, letting his Sharingan fade away. Kichiro stopped rubbing his eyes and slowly lowered his hand to his side.

"Well…I, uh…" Kichiro said. Sosei put on a more serious face and stared his little brother down. The look alone seemed to change the boy's mind about lying and he stood up straight and looked at Sosei.

"I got into a fight at school. After that, I left," he said. Sosei raised an eyebrow.

"You what?"

"Nobody even tried to stop me! Hensou Sensei just watched me go away," Kichiro said. Sosei shook his head.

"Who'd you fight?" he asked.

"This asshole, Kataki Egawaru," he grumbled before his face twisted in repentance. Sosei ignored the look. He didn't care that Kichiro cursed. Sakura on the other hand…

"What did he do?" Sosei closed the giant book. His Sharingan memorized the exact page number so he could return to it later.

"He insulted our clan and our family," Kichiro said. Sosei returned the book to its proper place while his brother continued. "He called us dirty traitors and said that if I wanted proof, I should ask Daddy." Sosei nodded and shook his head. He hated hearing people insult the clan. He had already put a Chidori through the mouth of an agitator today.

"Don't pay attention to anyone that defames the Uchiha clan name. We are better than them and they hate us because of it." Sosei knelt down in front of Kichiro and stared into onyx eyes. His hand cupped the back of Kichiro's head as he pulled him close enough for them to touch forehead. "You are strong, Kichiro. You don't have any other choice but to be, understand?"

Kichiro sniffled and nodded. "Yeah," he replied.

"Good," Sosei said. The gray-eyed Uchiha had never once lied to Kichiro. His younger brother was caring, sensitive and energetic. Something about his spirited love for his clan was pure. It wasn't clouded by hatred, hurt or pain. Kichiro was different from everyone, in Sosei's eyes. He looked more like Sasuke than any either he or Takuma, except there was innocence in his eyes. Sosei wondered if this was what his father had been like before hatred festered in his heart.

"Sosei," Kichiro said.

"Hm?"

"I know that you say I'm strong, but…I lost the fight today." Sosei felt himself smirk.

"How'd you lose?" he asked. Kichiro shrugged.

"I don't know. I didn't hit that jerk in the teeth hard enough, I guess." Sosei shook his head.

"Well, for one, you never aim for the mouth when you punch someone. Always aim for the nose, throat or behind the ears. Those are soft, sensitive points on the high upper body. If you ask Dad, he'll tell you the same thing," Sosei replied. Kichiro lapped at Sosei's words like a pup eager to please. The older Uchiha folded his arms and lightly smiled at his little brother. "Do you want to practice a bit in the backyard?"

Kichiro's face lit up as a smile crossed it. "Of course I do! Let's go! Maybe you can teach me a jutsu to show to Daddy!" Kichiro said as he bounded out of Sasuke's library. Sosei looked to the top shelf where the massive Uchiha chronicle laid. He remembered the words he had read.

_Lab._

_Entrance._

_Hidden._

_Fallen._

_Uchiha._

_Sharingan._

If it was a riddle or clue meant only for those with Sharingan to figure out, it wasn't one that was all that vague. Sosei reshuffled the words in his head as he walked out to meet Kichiro and placed in new ones to fill in blanks. He knew that the Mountain Graveyard was a base of operations. Its _entrance_ was more than likely _hidden_ and it contained a _lab_. The _fallen Uchiha_ probably referred to either Madara or Obito since both of them were infamous criminals that set an entire world war in motion and nearly enveloped the entire world in an infinite genjutsu. But why would _Sharingan_ be a prominent word? That left Sosei stumped.

When Sosei made it out to the backyard, Kichiro adopted a fighting stance and bowed. Sosei smirked and stood with his hands in pockets. The younger Uchiha barreled forward like a battering ram and flung his first punch. Sosei blocked and Kichiro followed up with another. The two brothers continued sparring for what seemed like hours. Sosei continued to block and parry Kichiro's attacks and when finally wrestled him down to the ground, he pointed out certain points that his little brother needed to improve. Kichiro was an eager listener and before Sosei knew it, Kichiro performed his moves exactly.

Kichiro may have lacked the graceful nuance that Takuma, Sosei or their father had, but Sosei noted one thing: Kichiro was very physically strong. He hit harder than Takuma did and he shrugged through attacks like a bruiser. He was quick enough to keep out of harm's way but sturdy enough to take it if it came to it. And even if Kichiro didn't inherit his father's speed and nonchalant skill, he certainly inherited Sasuke's intellect. He took advice well and quickly adapted it to his strategy. When they had finished their training session, Sosei could easily say that his little brother impressed him. It was a wonder how he lost to another boy his age. Perhaps the Kataki kid was that good? Or perhaps Kichiro hadn't fought the way he was naturally built to.

The two brothers sat on the front porch drinking cold glasses of water. For once, Kichiro was quiet as he gazed up into the sky. The sun was moving below the horizon, painting the heavens a myriad of colors. Sosei looked down at his brother and Kichiro looked up at him and smiled.

"Thanks, Sosei," he said.

"For what?" Sosei inquired.

"Training me. Sparring with me." Kichiro lowered his head. "I thought nobody cared about me." Sosei raised an eyebrow.

"Why?"

"Because you, Takuma and Daddy are always away on missions or training alone. Mom is either taking care of Hikari or working at the hospital. A lot of the time, I walk home alone from school," Kichiro said. Sosei frowned and looked away. Sighing softly, he turned back to Kichiro.

"A shinobi's duty is to his village first then to his family. If the Hokage needs us, we have to go. And Sakura is extremely important. She's a head doctor at the hospital and she's essential personnel. You'll be on a genin squad soon and have responsibilities of your own. It's…part of growing up," Sosei said. He then lightly punched Kichiro in the shoulder. "Everybody loves and cares about you, kid. Don't forget that."

Kichiro nodded and Sosei messed up his younger brother's hair. Kichiro frowned then smirked up at Sosei before turning his eyes to the pathway leading up to the house. Sosei saw too. Two people were approaching the house. One of them was Sasuke and the other was Hikari. The Uchiha clan head continued forward, his face solemn. Sosei wondered what happened between his father and the Hokage. Whatever had been said, his father looked like he was enveloped in his thoughts.

"Hikari, Daddy," Kichiro said as his father approached. Sasuke let Hikari's hand go and she ran up to Kichiro and leapt on him. After she had squeezed him in a hug, Hikari jumped onto Sosei.

"I missed you!" she grinned. Sosei smirked.

"I missed you too, Dakko-chan," he replied.

"Where are Mom and Takuma?" Kichiro asked. Sasuke's gaze went to Sosei, as if reprimanding him for not telling Kichiro already. Sosei looked back. Sasuke blinked and looked back at Kichiro.

"Takuma was injured during our mission. Your mother decided to stay overnight at the hospital to make sure that he was taken care of," Sasuke explained.

"Is he ok?" Kichiro asked. Sasuke looked away.

"He will be," he said before going back into the house. Hikari followed him but not before tugging at Kichiro and Sosei. The brothers followed the girl and Kichiro went after her towards the living room while Sosei went towards his father's bedroom. Sasuke Uchiha sat on his bed, gazing at the wall. His expression was intense, almost angry. Sosei thought his eyes would spout fireballs and burn the entire wall down.

"Dad," Sosei called. Sasuke didn't move to acknowledge him.

"What is it?" Sosei frowned. It was clear that his father was angry. Perhaps at him. Perhaps at Naruto. Perhaps at himself.

"If you need anything, I'm going to go take a walk around," Sosei said. Sasuke was still motionless.

"We'll be alright tonight. Go on." Sosei dipped his head and walked down the hallway to his room. The young Uchiha removed his ANBU flak jacket and changed into a black high-collar shirt with the Uchiha clan emblem large on the back. He slipped on black pants and sandals then grabbed his wallet before he left from the house.

The air was cool tonight and a slight breeze blew through the trees. The lights of downtown Konoha lit the center of the village and the sight was refreshing to Sosei. Lanterns lined the sides of buildings and shops. The streets were crowded with people, young and old. Sosei ignored them and held his head. Every step he took exuded Uchiha confidence.

While his eyes stared forward, he could still see everything that happened around him. He had practice checking his peripheral and found it a useful way to simultaneously ignore but acknowledge everyone. Something caught his peripheral that caused him to turn his head. The color blue. Flowing, blue hair.

Sosei's gray eyes followed the flowing blue as it passed him. The head it belonged to was oval shaped and the girl's face was unnaturally pretty. The young Uchiha stopped in his tracks and watched as the blue-haired girl walked down the Konoha road without a single worry. His feet almost followed her like his eyes had. Sosei turned away and when he looked back towards where she had been, he saw nothing. Confused, Sosei blinked.

A beautiful blue-haired ghost. Had he just imagined her or was she real? The Uchiha went in the same direction that he thought she had gone, parting through the crowd quickly. Hiss gray eyes darted around quickly, searching for the blue-haired girl. Sosei stopped in the middle of the crowd and looked around. Finally, he saw her standing near the market.

The young Uchiha casually walked towards her. The girl's hair was tied into a ponytail that dropped down below her neck. Her pale pink kimono was loose and modestly fit her, though it stopped just above her knees. White lotus flowers adorned her kimono and Sosei found himself a little lost in the pattern. He wanted to talk to her, but what would he say to her?

"I'm sorry. Were you waiting to look at the mangoes?" Sosei froze. The girl was staring him in his face now. Her green eyes pierced through Sosei's cool shell. He hoped he wasn't blushing. He would kill himself.

"No," Sosei said. "I was actually waiting to talk to you." The blue-haired girl smiled politely.

"Oh, well, hello," she said. "My name is Aori Hasuya. And you are?" she said.

"My name is Sosei Uchiha," the young man answered. Aori's mouth formed an "O" shape.

"So you're Sosei…" she said. Sosei raised an eyebrow.

"You've…heard of me?" he asked. Aori chuckled.

"Well, all of the girls in Konoha seem to fawn over you. They talk about all o your accomplishments and how strong you are. I just didn't expect you," she said.

Sosei rested his hands in his pockets. "What were you expecting?" Aori shrugged and smiled coyly.

"Perhaps a boy with girls draped all over him with a group of followers, building sacrifices on the paths that he walked on. But you…you don't seem like that." Sosei nodded.

"I'm not," he said. "I just saw you walking and I wanted to speak to you. Thought maybe, I could see you later." Aori's polite smile didn't fade.

"It's a sweet offer, but I have a boyfriend. That's who I'm buying mangoes for," she said. Sosei felt his spirit deflate but he refused to let it show on his face. He was an Uchiha after all.

"Is he a shinobi?" Sosei asked. Aori nodded.

"Yeah, he's a jonin. Shōheki Bokuso," she said. That was a name Sosei hadn't heard. Perhaps he'd go and look up his file when he went in to work in the morning.

"Well, hopefully he's deserving of you. Have a good night, Ms. Hasuya," Sosei said. Aori smiled.

"You too, Mr. Uchiha," Aori said.

Sosei parted ways with Aori and headed home. Darkness was starting to settle on Konoha and Sosei had had enough of seeing couples together, laughing and enjoying themselves. The young Uchiha made it home quickly and sighed as he entered the house. Things were quiet so Sosei assumed that Kichiro and Hikari were asleep. He wondered if his father was as well. The Uchiha walked to his room and glanced towards the living room then paused.

Sasuke sat on the couch facing him with his Sharingan activated. The red eyes shined brightly and bore into Sosei. In front of Sasuke, was the Uchiha Chronicle. Sosei's father didn't blink. He stared into Sosei.

"I know you've been reading this book," Sasuke said. "And I know that today, you read the histories of both Madara and Obito Uchiha. For one reason, alone." Sosei nodded.

"Yes, sir. I was just looking for ways to try to help Takuma. I think I found it. The Mountain Graveyard hideout. There's a lab in there and you know about it. I was reading the text describing it and—"

"I know you were. When you activated your Sharingan to read it, the chakra ink remained visible. I looked at the same section…because I was thinking the same thing you were," Sasuke said. Sosei stepped forward.

"Dad…" he said. "What's in the lab?" Sasuke looked up at Sosei. His face appeared even more cold and solemn than Sosei had ever remembered seeing it.

"The horrible truth about our clan."


	4. Fondness

**A/N: Jesus Christ...it's been a long time. Finals rained wretched horrors upon me and I did my damnedest to defeat the monsters and mostly succeeded. But, I am back! Please enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

 

When Takuma woke, he saw Honami slumped in a chair with her head on the armrest. Shōgo sat next to her with his head leaned back, snoring softly. The young Uchiha was surprised to see his teammates in a literal sense. Before he passed out, his vision had been blurred and it even hurt him to blink. His head had been pounding and dried blood crusted on his cheeks. Now, he could see things with such clarity that it didn't make sense. He had been nearly blind before and now, things were completely reversed. Within a few moments of realizing his sight was restored, Takuma felt himself drawn back into the dark depths of sleep.

Next time he woke up, his teammates were gone and the Hyūga doctor entered Takuma's room hours later, he carried a white board and placed it against the wall. His pale eyes smiled at Takuma and the young Uchiha could see the colorless pupils take shape into the Byakugan as he looked over Takuma's face. After he had done so, the Hyūga leaned back and walked over to the board.

"How are you feeling today, Takuma?" the doctor asked. Takuma blinked. His head didn't hurt anymore, but he felt spacey.

"Lightheaded," Takuma replied. "Hungry too." The doctor grinned and nodded.

"Well, at least your appetite is back," he said before looking over the young Uchiha boy. Takuma's eyes followed him and he noticed every minute detail on the man's face. The faint scar underneath his eyes. Laugh lines that were starting to set in. Takuma could see it all. The doctor seemed to take notice. "Your eyes seem to be able to track movement just fine," he said. He then backed away and placed the white sheet on the white marker board six feet from the foot of Takuma's bed.

He pointed to the sheet and looked to Takuma. The Uchiha was intelligent enough to follow. The doctor wanted him to read the lines that he had most trouble with. To Takuma's surprise, he could see every row with supreme clarity. He didn't even know where to begin or how to explain to the doctor what was happening. He just began to read the very last row.

"This eyesight chart is copyrighted by the United Shinobi Alliance Health Corps and authorized for usage for…" the Uchiha read until he saw the Hyūga raise his hand and stared at him. Initially, the boy had thought he had done something wrong until the wonder and amazement in the doctor's face showed otherwise. Takuma saw the pale Hyūga eyes shift into the Byakugan as the doctor stared into the young Uchiha's dark green eyes.

"Amazing…" the Hyūga whispered. Before Takuma could ask what, the doctor was gone and back with more of his colleagues. They all took turns looking at him, looking over his files and back at the young Uchiha. Takuma's eyes followed all of them around. In the hustle and bustle of their movement, nothing ever blurred in Takuma's sightline. He could see everything with clarity.

Soon, a familiar flash of pink caught Takuma's eyes and the boy smiled when he saw his mother enter his room. She was dressed professionally with her doctoral garb without her scarlet red headband. Her green eyes flashed to her son and then the Hyūga doctor. The man had a smile on his face.

"It's a miracle," the doctor said. Takuma looked at him.

"What is?" he asked. "I mean, I know that I can see again and things don't hurt too badly, but why is it a miracle?" Sakura was reading the Hyūga's report and then paused.

"So, it would seem that surgery isn't necessary, according to your report," she said to the doctor. Takuma felt his face frown but he retained his polite coolness.

"Could someone please explain to me why what happened to my eyes is a miracle?" he asked. The Hyūga glanced at Sakura and the pink-haired kunoichi stepped forward, holding the folder open as she glanced over the doctor's report and read again.

"The blockage in your occipital lobe is still present, preventing the unique chakra that allows you to awaken the Sharingan from getting to your eyes. However, whatever trauma you suffered allowed a little bit of that chakra to leak through, encompassing your eyes," she said. The Hyūga then stepped forward.

"The pain and blindness that you experienced is commonly associated with the irresponsible push of the Mangekyou Sharingan however, with you, things are a little different. Your body tried to force the Sharingan to awaken as it naturally would, but your disease prevented it from occurring and thus your suffered the same adverse effects that would befall an overindulgent Mangekyo user," the Hyūga said. Takuma blinked and looked to his mother.

"You may never truly activate the Sharingan, but the chakra enhancements to your eyes have made your eyesight almost equal in power to the Sharingan as far as acuity goes. The only other people I know that have ever read the fine print of the eyesight chart were your father and Sosei, both with their Sharingan activated." Takuma blinked again. He felt something rising within him. A deep sigh of relief? Joy? Renewed desire to live? Either way, he had only one question.

"Does this mean I can finally get out of this bed?"

-/-

Walking next to his father, Kichiro could only be in awe. He had often been told that he looked virtually identical to his father when he was younger, but Kichiro could never imagine a man as powerful and regal looking as his father being a bumbling child. Kichiro swore he could feel his father's chakra leave his feet with every step he took, causing his shadow to back away. The Uchiha clanhead didn't wear his traditional Konoha gear today, opting instead for a black cloak over his white high-collared shirt and black pants. His headband dangled from his belt next to his sword that gleamed in the morning sunlight. Kichiro's father was walking with purpose and a cold flash in his eyes, a look that had been there since after Kichiro had told him about his struggles in the classroom as well as his abandoning school early.

Kataki Egawaru's words had haunted Kichiro the entire day. He had never heard someone speak so cruelly of his father in the open. Of course, Kichiro sometimes heard people whisper of the Uchiha clan's past, but he had never heard enough to actually respond. But Kataki…he had called Kichiro's father and his entire clan, traitors. The negative gravity of that word wore on Sasuke's face and his response was equally chilling.

"I'll address it when I take you to school."

His father hadn't walked Kichiro to the Academy since his first day of school two years ago. Even then, he hadn't addressed the class and had only given his instructor a curt nod before rushing off on a mission. Now, to have his father coming to class with him to speak to Hensou Sensei and Kataki? Kichiro felt like he had all power.

The two Uchiha crossed the threshold of the building and Kichiro followed his father through the Academy floor and finally into the classroom. Kichiro could hear the talking go silent as Sasuke entered the classroom and Kichiro followed him. Hensou Sensei stood in front of the class with a confused and befuddled face as Sasuke scanned the room. Kichiro looked too. He could see Setsuka sitting where she had been before and next to her, was Kataki. The young boy feigned a cool contempt but Kichiro could see the fear in his eyes when Sasuke slowly made his way up the bleachers to Kataki's seat.

Kichiro felt a smile slowly climb up his face as Kataki seemed to sink further and further into his seat as Sasuke approached him. The elder Uchiha paused and rested the palm of his hand on the hilt of his sword. The entire room was quiet enough to hear Sasuke speak.

"Are you Kataki Egawaru?" Sasuke asked. Kataki raised his chin and stared Sasuke in the eye in defiance.

"Yes, I am," the boy answered. Sasuke didn't blink and Kataki's brow twitched.

"I heard that you made some accusations against myself and my clan. The word 'traitor' was used. You're much too young to know anything about the Uchiha or my actions in the past. Ignorant accusations made by a genin like yourself against someone who has the luxury of calling the Hokage 'friend' could damage not only your reputation, but the reputation of your family as well. You're breaking laws, boy," Sasuke said. His tone was a chilly mixture of cooled blades and ice-covered stones. Kataki's face seemed to blanch with realization. Sasuke stood up straight and stared down at Kataki. "Do not ever speak of the Uchiha again."

The Uchiha headed to the front of the classroom and beckoned Kichiro forth with his eyes. The boy walked up to his father and stood between he and Hensou Sensei. Sasuke's eyes looked down at Kichiro with sternness and the young boy nodded and looked up at Hensou Sensei.

"I am sorry for leaving class before the allotted time. I won't do it again, Sensei," Kichiro said, before bowing. "Please, accept my apology." Kichiro stayed bowed until he heard Hensou Sensei speak.

"Apology accepted, Kichiro," he said before turning to Sasuke. Kichiro noticed that though Hensou Sensei was slightly taller than his father, the Uchiha seemed to tower over him. "And thank you for you visit, Lord Sasuke. I was actually going to address the class today once Kichiro arrived," he said. Sasuke didn't blink.

"I find it best to address problems when they first occur. I trust that Kichiro nor Kataki won't cause any more trouble," the Uchiha lord said as he shifted out of the room. He was likely heading to the hospital to check on Takuma. Kichiro had wished to go but his father had refused him. He was a growing shinobi and he needed to learn in the Academy. Kichiro didn't mind. It was worth it seeing Kataki so shaken by Sasuke's presence. Kichiro took his seat next to Setsuka and grinned at the girl as he did. Setsuka blushed and smiled back.

The lesson on today was about genjutsu, one of Kichiro's least favorite subjects. He didn't particularly like illusions. By training with his father and brothers, he had had to learn how to dispel genjutsu as Sasuke and Sosei tended to use it to gain brief advantages over their opponents. Kichiro's mother had a natural talent for dispelling genjutsu so whenever Kichiro had any issues, he went to her.

After Hensou Sensei had gone through his lecture, he called students up individually to dispel a genjutsu that he placed them in. Kichiro watched everyone go up and carefully examined how long it took each of his classmates to dispel the jutsu. His brow wrinkled when Hensou called Kataki's name and the two boys exchanged contemptuous glances as the Egawaru boy descended down the steps. Kataki stepped in front of Hensou and folded his arms. Hensou Sensei performed the hand seal and Kichiro watched Kataki do a single, nonchalant hand seal and dispel the technique. Hensou's face was surprised at first but then he lightly smiled.

"Very good, Kataki," he said. "You may take your seat." Kataki nodded then smirked as he turned from the front of the class and walked back up the steps, high-fiving several of his admirers as he made his way to his seat. His eyes shot back down to Kichiro as he passed him and the young Uchiha growled in his chest.

"Arrogant jerk…" he muttered under his breath.

"Uchiha Kichiro," Hensou called. The young boy took in a deep breath and then exhaled as he stood up.

"Are you nervous?" Setsuka's soft voice asked. Kichiro grinned.

"Nervous? I'm an Uchiha," he replied as he walked away from his friend. Kichiro's heart pounded in his chest. He was nervous. Just because Kataki easily dispelled the genjutsu didn't mean that Kichiro would have the same amount of luck. Kataki was a different breed and although it pained Kichiro to let the thought enter his head, he was better than him.

But Kichiro was Uchiha and the son of Sasuke. He'd make it.

Kichiro stood in front of Hensou and his instructor nodded at him. Kichiro nodded back and wiggled his fingers, preparing them to perform hand seals. Hensou didn't seem to be moving at all and for a moment, Kichiro was going to speak. Then he realized what was happening. Hensou had him in the genjutsu. Kichiro performed the hand seal that his mother had taught him. It didn't work. Kichiro tried again, trying to force more chakra output into his technique. It failed again. The young Uchiha began to panic. He knew one dispelling technique and it didn't work. His father and Sosei used their Sharingan cause genjutsu to dissipate but without that, Kichiro was stuck.

Suddenly, the young Uchiha was snapped back into reality and fell to his hands and knees, coughing. Kichiro gasped for air and felt beads of sweat drip from his chin.

"Kichiro!" Hensou Sensei called, causing the young Uchiha to snap his head up. Kichiro's instructor had gotten down to one knee and had his hand on Kichiro's head. The entire class had stood up in their seats to see what was going on. Kichiro looked around and saw Kataki snickering. Setsuka had her hand raised to her mouth in shock. The Uchiha closed his eyes tight.

"W-what happened?" he asked softly. Hensou's hand went from Kichiro's head to his shoulder and softly rubbed it.

"You started choking while caught in the genjutsu. I thought you'd break it but your face started to turn blue. I released the jutsu for you. I'm sorry, Kichiro. Perhaps it was too strong," Hensou replied. Kichiro shook his head. He had failed again. He had put forth a great bluff of power, bringing his father to class to deal with Kataki only to flounder and disgrace the Uchiha name. An Uchiha who couldn't easily disrupt and dispel genjutsu?

Kichiro sat in silence for the rest of the class time. He thought he heard Kataki and his flunkies talking about him behind his back but he didn't have the energy to get into a verbal altercation. He just sat his chin on his arms and stared forward. He saw Setsuka look at him and mouth something before retreating. Konoha's Greatest Failure. That's what they'd call him. An Uchiha who couldn't defeat an opponent from an unknown family or escape an Academy-level genjutsu. If his family found out, what would they do? Would they disown him?

"Kichiro, I need to speak with you," Hensou said after class had ended. The young Uchiha was on his way out of the door when his instructor called him. Kichiro sighed and turned to Hensou.

"Yes, sensei?" he said. Hensou sat on his desk and blinked softly.

"I've noticed some things about you, Kichiro," Hensou started. "When you come to class, you seemed distracted or pressured. I know that you and Kataki have a strong rivalry and you want to be better than he is, but I sense that there are deeper problems. I know your father came to class today, but I have to ask. Are things okay at home?" he asked.

Kichiro stared at Hensou. He wanted to deny that there was any problem at all. He wanted to say that his parents and siblings paid attention to him and were always readily available to support him…but those would be lies. His father and Takuma trained together and now that Takuma was in the hospital, Sasuke stayed there. Sosei was an elite ANBU operative and was constantly away on missions or honing his skills alone. Kichiro's mother worked in the hospital and Hikari helped Aunt Ino in her own way in her flower shop. Oft times, nobody was even home when Kichiro arrived.

The Uchiha felt tears form in his eyes, then flow down his face. Fabric touched Kichiro's face and strong yet gentle hands pulled him forward. Hensou was hugging him. Kichiro couldn't remember ever being hugged by his father. Perhaps when he was a baby, first learning to walk but not recently. It felt odd to be hugged by someone else. But it felt right and it gave Kichiro some relief. He felt…care in Hensou's hug. Love, even.

"I…I feel alone, sometimes, I guess. My family doesn't seem to acknowledge me, until I go to them," Kichiro said. Hensou backed away slightly from their hug and smiled gently. The smile he always seemed to wield. So inviting.

"I know what it feels like to feel alone, Kichiro. To truly be alone," he said. Hensou then sighed lightly and closed his eyes. "During the Fourth Shinobi World War, my entire family was killed in action. My parents were part of the Intelligence Division and stationed in the Alliance HQ. It was destroyed by the Ten-Tails and killed them. My uncle, cousin and older sister were a part of the Third Division and were killed by the revived Seven Swordsmen of the Mist." Hensou sniffed a little bit and Kichiro felt his heart pang. "I don't have a wife or children of my own. I'm the last of my family. So I understand loneliness."

"I…I never knew," Kichiro said. The boy suddenly felt horrible. He had his family, though they weren't always around him. Hensou Sensei had no one.

"I don't like to talk about it," Hensou smiled. His hand then reached out to touch the top of Kichiro's head. "I just want you to know that if you need help with anything, I am here for you, Kichiro. As a teacher and a friend." Kichiro looked up at Hensou and grinned.

He had long needed someone like Hensou Sensei in his life. He needed other people to train and love him. With his teacher as his friend, there was no way he'd ever have trouble on the exams. Kichiro wondered how strong Hensou was as a shinobi. It would probably be a great opportunity to learn from him. And the young Uchiha knew exactly when he'd start.

"Can…can we do some genjutsu training now?" the boy asked. Hensou's face brightened and he nodded.

"Of course," he said. "And I know just the spot."

-/-

Lightning sparked in Sosei's hand, brightening his face and showing the fading red highlights in his hair. His crimson Sharingan shined brightly and the Uchiha grit his teeth. Chakra flowed to his feet as he dashed forward, the Chidori sending off white-blue streaks of lightning every which way as he dragged his hand against the ground. A trail of broken earth was left behind him as he finally made his way to his target; the side of a mountain.

There was a crack and ripple as the rocks on the mountainside began to crumble and fall away. Sosei crackled more lightning in his hand and dislodged his arm as he leapt away from the falling rock slabs. The Uchiha flexed his fingers and looked up and down the face. It had taken him five repeated Chidori at full power to get the side of the mountain to fall. His father's strongest lightning attack that Sosei had seen could level an entire battlefield at half strength. Sometimes, Sosei smirked when he thought of that. It only meant that he had immense amounts of potential.

Except in his personal life, it would seem. The Uchiha's mind flashed images of the blue-haired girl, Aori Hasuya. Sosei had dreamed about her and woke up to find himself alone in his partially empty room. Smitten wasn't the word. The girl was undeniably beautiful and had a unique quality that caught Sosei's attention. Her blue hair. Sosei smirked as wiped the sweat from his brow as he walked through the forest. Sakura had pink hair. The Hokage's daughter had scarlet. It seemed Uchiha were attracted to outlandish hair colors.  
Sosei wanted to talk to her, get to know more about her and her life. Somewhere in his mind, the human part of him desired a reason to return to Konoha besides his brothers. Someone to cherish and hold dear…

But she has a boyfriend… The thought annoyed Sosei. Shōheki Bokuso. Sosei had tipped into work and looked up the shinobi's files before the Hokage via Komuji had placed him on standby. He had multi-colored hair, blonde on the top and brown on the sides. He had 365 completed missions: 20 D-rank, 180 C-rank, 67 B-rank and 98 A-rank. In Sosei's research, he discovered that Shōheki was about five years his senior, meaning that Aori had to be at least eighteen to be dating him. Sosei was still a boy to her.

Sosei discarded those facts and kept his focus on the path ahead. He had more important things to worry about besides petty jealousy and relationship issues. His brother may very well have gone blind by now and he might never activate the Sharingan. Sosei remembered the discourse he and his father had had on the night before, how it had made him shiver with both horror and excitement. The key to helping restore Takuma laid in that Mountain Graveyard. It would only be a matter of time before Sosei and his father made the trip…

A hawk cast its shadow above Sosei and the Uchiha looked up and squinted. Suddenly, the bird dive-bombed through the clearing and spread its wings out to stop itself as it descended. Sosei held out his arm and the hawk landed, its talons just barely breaking his skin. It had a note attached to its leg, one which Sosei could only think came from his old-fashioned father. When he unrolled it, he found his guess to be correct. And the message inside read...

Look up again.

Sosei did and then gawked when he saw the familiar orange, black and white garb of the Hokage sitting on a tree branch. Softly, the older shinobi snickered.

"Ha, figured you'd be out here, as far from the village as possible," Naruto said. Sosei stood tall.

"Do you have orders, Lord Hokage?" he asked. The Hokage or rather his clone, leapt from the tree and paused before nodding. He must've been receiving information from his main body, the real Naruto.

"Indeed, I do. Takuma, Honami and Shōgo have woken up and have been treated for their injuries by Sakura. I've debriefed them with Shikamaru on the shinobi that they encountered," Naruto said, folding his arms. "We're trying to figure out who they are and where they are. Once we do that, Team Hae is going after them. We're still working on a plan, but it would appear that their goal lies somehow in disrupting the rejuvenation of Kirigakure." Sosei nodded.

"So, where are you taking me?" he asked. The Hokage smiled and he placed his hand on Sosei's shoulder.

"To the practice fields. I think Takuma has a surprise for us all."

-/-

I can see. I can really see. Takuma thought as he let loose another barrage of shuriken that struck all the places he desired. Two struck the head where the eyes would be placed, two others hit the chest and the last hit directly in the femoral artery with blinding speed and amazing accuracy. On the side, Takuma's teammates clapped and cheered. Honami's face was beautiful as she smiled and Shōgo's grin was infectious. Takuma's father watched with his arms folded. His softened face showed that he was at least pleased.

Takuma was happy about that. He still had hang-ups about possible never having the Sharingan. How could he truly be acknowledged as an Uchiha if he didn't posses the eyes that had made his clan feared by many. But, perhaps, if Takuma couldn't possess the eyes, he could at least have the skills and power. He couldn't ever let up. He needed to keep training himself. His vision was beyond perfect now due to his accident. If he could see it, he could hit it, react to it and use it.

"Honami, Shōgo, you go against Takuma. Taijutsu, only," Sasuke said.

"Alright, sensei," Honami replied. Shōgo was less enthusiastic.

"Great…" the orange haired boy said lazily. Takuma smiled softly as his two friends positioned themselves in front of him and dropped into fighting positions. Honami's Byakugan didn't activate and she held her defensive Gentle Fist stance and Shōgo stood solidly. They wouldn't attack first. Hyūga practicing the Gentle Fist style would naturally be defensive, sitting back to counter attacks and violently disrupt chakra points. Shōgo would also wait and assess the situation, making plans to defeat Takuma quickly, utilizing anything he had to gain an advantage. But, Takuma had the skills to outmaneuver both of them.

Takuma rushed forward and rolled to Honami's left and targeted Shōgo.

"Shit," the boy said as Takuma drove a fist towards him. The young Uchiha caught Honami approaching from the side and threw a kick in her direction. Honami was fast and ducked under his kick. Her red hair wisped under Takuma's leg and she jabbed upward with her palm. Substitutions were ninjutsu. Takuma had to improvise. The Uchiha boy lowered and twisted his hips and took the palm strike in his pelvis. Takuma sometimes forgot that Honami hit harder than a sack of bricks. He absorbed the pain and swung his body around, landing on the ground and flipping away from both Honami and Shōgo.

Honami nodded to Shōgo, a very short nod and one that Takuma would've probably not noticed had his eyes not been enhanced by chakra. He was far more perceptive than he was before. There was a brief hand gesture and the two of them separated. Honami came forward and her strikes were quick and accurate. Takuma could see them coming as she threw them and forced his body to react. The Uchiha raised his arms to block Honami's strikes and pushed her away. Shōgo leapt over the girl's head and dove down with a quick punch that Takuma wouldn't have seen had it not been that brief flash of orange behind Honami's red hair.

Instinctively, Takuma dropped down and launched his leg up, catching Shōgo squarely on his chin. The Uchiha's friend's eyes rolled up in his head and he drooled as he laid on the grass. Honami laughed and rubbed her temples.

"Shōgo…" she sighed. The orange-haired boy shook his head, coughed, then raised his hand.

"I'm…I'm good. Damn jaw hurts…but I'm fine," Shōgo said. Takuma opened his mouth to speak.

"Maybe next time, you'll dodge," another voice, Sosei's voice, said. Takuma whirled around to see his older brother standing beside his father and Naruto. Honami's face brightened up and she ran over to Naruto.

"Dad!" she shouted. In an orange flash, Naruto crossed the field and scooped his daughter into his arms. Takuma watched the two of them laughing and looked over at his father. There was an awkward glance between them. Takuma walked over to his family and looked at Sosei. His older brother dipped his head.

"Not looking half bad for being straight out of the hospital," he said. Takuma nodded.

"Thanks," he replied. Sosei seemed to be staring into his eyes. Takuma wondered if a chakra spark flared in them. "Did you come to see me?" Takuma asked. His older brother blinked and nodded.

"Yeah," Sosei said. Takuma looked away. Sosei had come to see him? Checking on his eyes and seeing if he was healthy enough to fight. In his own way, maybe, Sosei was showing that he cared. As perceptive as his eyes were now, Takuma could see that little bit of effort. He hadn't ever loved Sosei like he loved Kichiro…

Perhaps, now he could…give him a chance? See what others saw in him., not an enemy…but perhaps a mentor. Maybe…

"Sosei!" The Hokage called from across the field. Takuma's brother looked over at the blonde man and blinked. Without seconds, Sosei was in front of the Hokage and they appeared to be talking. Sasuke slowly made his way towards the pair and Takuma's friends gathered around him.

"What do you think they're talking about?" Takuma asked.

"Dad seemed like he was getting information from his main body all of the sudden. He usually freezes up and then starts talking," Honami replied. Shōgo raised his eyebrow.

"Information about what?" the orange-haired boy asked.

"Maybe those three shinobi that attacked us? They've been trying to squeeze information out of us since we got back to Konoha," Honami said.

"And it's been a real chore trying to remember what a quick-moving kunoichi's distinguishing feature is besides a very strong right hook," Shōgo muttered. Takuma smiled.

"Hopefully, things can go back to normal and we can get back to training," the Uchiha said. "Especially if we want to make it to the Chunin Exams."

"I don't know if we're even ready for that yet," Honami said. Shōgo scoffed.

"Yeah, everybody else's teams have been getting and succeeding in higher level missions while we just got our asses handed to us," the boy said. Takuma shook his head.

"That was something random and out of our control. Those shinobi…I don't know who they were but the Hokage is desperate to find out they are," he said. Shōgo shrugged then sighed.

"Well, if we can get some training time from Sasuke-sensei, perhaps we can assess our skills and see if we are ready." Takuma looked over his father, gathered with Sosei and the Hokage. His father had seemed a bit more distant than usual, perhaps deep in thought after the failure of the mission. He had been extremely gentle with Takuma when he was in the hospital.

"We'll have to see about that…" Takuma said. The Hokage, Sasuke and Sosei separated. The Hokage and Sosei disappeared in a yellow flash and Sasuke turned to his team.

"I could hear you all the way over here," the man said. He placed his hand on the hilt of his sword. "I believe that you are ready for the Chunin Exams. You're the right age and you done enough missions, even if you happened to 'fail' this one, it wasn't your fault. I'll talk to the Hokage after this." Takuma's eyes widened.

"This what?" he asked. Sasuke smirked.

"Second bell test." Shōgo sighed.

"We just left the hospital, sensei. Could we…like get a day to prepare?" he asked. Takuma wanted to tell Shōgo that it'd be a lost cause. His father would wake him at three in the morning to train him impromptu if he thought his skills were lacking. Sasuke seemed to ponder Shōgo's request.

"Hm…I guess I can allow that. I'll test you tomorrow morning and based on your performance, I'll talk to Naruto," he said. Takuma smiled and Shōgo gawked.

"W-what? That…" Shōgo said. Takuma raised his hand and Honami shook her head, as if to say, Shut up.

"See you here at six in the morning," Sasuke said. Shōgo let out a sigh of relief and waved goodbye as he started home. Honami's arms wrapped around Takuma's body and she squeezed him in a hug. Awkwardly, she stepped back and looked up at him, blushing. Takuma felt his cheeks heat up as well. Honami's pale eyes darted down.

"I-I'm glad…you didn't die. Or go blind," she said.

I would've hated to not ever be able to see your beautiful face again. Takuma thought. The words never left his mouth. Only, "I'm glad you didn't die, either." Honami smiled, turned and raced away, following Shōgo over the hill. Takuma sighed as he watched her going away, with her flowing red hair. He could see every individual strand with his eyes.

"She's very fond of you," Sasuke said. Takuma turned to his father and smiled lightly.

"I think I'm fond of her, too, Father." Sasuke tapped the top of Takuma's head.

"Next time, you should tell her instead of giving that blank, puppy expression," Sasuke said as he walked past. Takuma stared forward, not knowing what shocked him more. The fact that his father had guessed his thoughts and saw his face…or that he had made a joke.  
Had Sasuke Uchiha made a joke?

-/-

Kichiro laid in his bed, staring at the wall. Tears dripped from his face and his body shook. What had he done?


	5. The Blue Eyes of the Devil

Kichiro was quiet when his parents and siblings arrived home. Hikari ran to him and hugged him as she normally did. Sosei rubbed his head and messed up his hair. Takuma smiled and asked him how school went. His mother, Sakura, kissed him on his forehead and told him she’d prepare dinner. His father gave him a passing glance. Then everyone left him alone.

In solitude, Kichiro’s mind replayed what had occurred to him. He fought against it and tried to defeat the images and feelings that came with his thoughts. It was hard, nearly impossible to do so. He laid in his room, curled up in his bed. The wall made his mind go blank.

“Kichi,” a small voice called from outside of Kichiro’s room. The young Uchiha turned and saw his little sister standing at the door with a doll. Hikari tilted her head to the side and walked forward to Kichiro’s bedside. “Are you ok?” she asked. Her large green eyes blinked.

“No,” Kichiro whispered before quickly changing his answer. “Yes. I’m ok, Hikari.” The inquisitive five year old shook her head.

“Nuh-uh. You’re lying. You said ‘no’ at first,” she said. “What’s wrong? Did the Big Dummy hit you again?” Hikari asked, pouting. The “Big Dummy” in question was Kataki. When Kichiro told Hikari about his time at the Academy, he gave everyone a nickname so that Hikari wouldn’t go telling any of his secrets.

“No…Daddy talked to the Big Dummy. I don’t think he’ll be dumb anymore,” Kichiro said. Hikari giggled.

“’Kay!” she said. Her smile then left. “So, why are you sad, Kichi?” Kichiro looked past his sister. What could he say? He didn’t want to shoo Hikari away and hurt her feelings. But…talking about what had happened to him to anyone in his family? That’d be horrible. He could think of a nickname…he had to think of a nickname. Instantly, a story he had heard came to his mind.

“Aobōzu,” Kichiro said. “Aobōzu took me somewhere and…” he stopped. Hikari blinked.

“What happened, Kichi?” she asked. Kichiro’s face blanched. The thoughts came back. He saw everything with clarity. He whirled in his bed and faced his wall. “Kichi?” Hikari said. Kichiro didn’t turn. He’d never let his baby sister see him cry.

-/-

Sosei entered the house, greeted Kichiro and went to his room. He slid his closet doors open and grabbed his ANBU gear. He stripped off his sweat-soaked blue high collar and put on a clean, black version of the same. The grey flak jacket followed and Sosei’s gloved hand slid on his bird mask.  His ninjato blade hung on right arm, ready to slip from its sheathe into his hand at the specific twitch of his muscle. The nippy autumn breeze had just started to turn when he and the rest of his family had entered the house. The Uchiha pulled a black hooded cloak from his closet and threw it on his body.

He needed to hurry.

The Hokage had received word on the three former captains of Yashin’s army traveling from small town to small town in the Land of Fire. From their path, it looked like they were heading around Konoha toward an indistinct location. Whatever their path, the Hokage wanted them eliminated…or rather, Sasuke did. Regardless, Sosei needed to depart quickly in order to meet up with his team.

Sosei pulled his mask down and went into the hallway. His little sister walked away from Kichiro’s room with her head hung down, gripping her doll tightly. Sosei stopped as she walked towards him and looked up with her pouting face. Sosei smiled lightly at the little girl.

“What’s wrong, Dakko-chan?” he asked. Hikari sniffled and sighed.

“Kichi’s mad at me. He won’t talk to me, Soso,” she said. Sosei raised an eyebrow. It wasn’t like Kichiro and Hikari to not talk. He didn’t necessarily have the time or the social skills to diffuse the situation, but he could at least speak to Kichiro and give his sister a hug.

“Come here,” Sosei said. Hikari walked forward pouting and into Sosei’s open arms. “I have a mission, Dakko-chan. I might be gone for a little while. Can you be strong without me here?” he asked. Hikari blinked then nodded.

“I guess so,” she sighed. “Are you gonna beat up the bad guys?”

 _Kill them_. Sosei thought. “Yes,” he replied. The Uchiha teen tapped his little sister’s nose and went to Kichiro’s room. His little brother, the spitting image of his father, was facing the wall and shaking. Sosei wanted to ask what was wrong, but he knew he had to leave. “Kichiro, I’m leaving for my mission,” Sosei said. Kichiro barely shifted.

“Ok,” he answered. Sosei sighed inwardly and headed to his father and Sakura’s bedroom. The door was open, but Sosei still knocked. He had made that mistake before and he had not liked what he saw.

“Come in,” Sakura said and Sosei quickly obliged. His stepmother laid in bed, reading a book and his father was slowly removing his combat gear. Sosei sighed softly.

“I’m heading out,” he said. Sakura got out of bed and walked over towards him. His father turned his head fractionally to watch them. The pink haired kunoichi looked him up and down.

“Do you have all of your medical supplies? Ointments, oils, herbs?” she asked. Sosei felt himself frown slightly in confusion.

“Why would I need any of that? I’m not going to get hurt,” Sosei replied. Sakura raised and eyebrow then shook her head.

“So much like your father was at your age…don’t be stupid,” Sakura said.

“I’m not,” Sosei said. “I’m an Uchiha and…”

“You’re setting yourself up to get killed,” Sasuke finally said. He kept talking as he slept off his shoes. “Sosei, you’re a fine shinobi. You have enormous potential, but you need to listen to Sakura. You don’t know anything about these three rogues you’re chasing. You need to be prepared.” Sakura shoved a few medicinal pouches into Sosei’s chest and glared at him.

“Heaven forbid, you get killed because you were too arrogant to carry healing items for yourself,” Sakura said. Sosei could do nothing but twist his mouth. Even though nearly every team of shinobi sent out was now required to have a medic-nin, ANBU teams often didn’t. ANBU teams weren’t really “teams” the way the Hokage had envisioned them to be. Qualified shinobi were rounded up by assigned captains and placed on a team. Komuji just happened to pick the same team every time he was given a mission.

“Fine,” Sosei finally said, placing the pouches on his belt. “Maybe they’ll be useful.” Sakura scoffed and shook her head before chuckling.

“Trust me, Sosei, the medicine in those pouches will be far more useful than any medic-nin,” the pink-haired woman said before pulling Sosei toward her in a hug. “Be strong and careful,” she said. She backed away and Sosei looked to his father. Sasuke gave a nod, one that Sosei understood. In his unemotional way, he was telling him to be strong.

Sosei knew he had to. This mission was pivotal.

The Uchiha left his father and stepmother and headed to the door. Before he could make it, he saw Takuma standing in the hallway. The two brothers paused in front of each other. Sosei could tell from his brother’s stance that he was nervous. The awkward silence was broken when Takuma finally spoke.

“Are you going after the shinobi that attacked my team?” he asked. Sosei sighed.

“Technically, I’m not supposed to tell you. ANBU missions are classified,” he replied. Takuma smiled politely.

“When have you ever cared about rules?” he asked. Sosei smirked.

“Never.” The Uchiha walked forward and tapped Takuma on his forehead with his index and middle finger. “I’ll tell you about it when I come back,” he said. Takuma nodded.

“Ok,” the younger brother said. “Don’t…don’t die,” he added. Sosei waved his hand as he exited the house and closed the door. The sun was descending below the horizon and darkness was beginning to spread. Sosei’s black cloak spread over him and the Uchiha slipped on his porcelain mask.

It was time to get to work.

-/-

           

“Takuma…” Kichiro said when he walked into the hallway. His older brother turned to face him and smiled softly.“Sorry, Kichiro. I can’t,” he said. Kichiro felt his face fall. “I have a test tomorrow morning to see if my team will be able to apply for the Chunin Exams. I’m going against Father.” Kichiro frowned and then sighed softly. He should’ve expected this. The ten year old turned on his heels and walked away from Takuma.

“Sorry, Kichiro. I can’t,” he said. Kichiro felt his face fall. “I have a test tomorrow morning to see if my team will be able to apply for the Chunin Exams. I’m going against Father.” Kichiro frowned and then sighed softly. He should’ve expected this. The ten-year old turned on his heels and walked away from Takuma.

“Ok,” he replied. Before Kichiro could make it back to his room, he heard his brother’s voice again.“Well, since I am fighting Father tomorrow, I

“Well, since I am fighting Father tomorrow, I _do_ need a strong sparring partner,” Takuma said. Kichiro smiled and turned around. Takuma chuckled and pointed outside. “Let’s go,” he said.

“Do you mean it?” Kichiro asked. His older brother smiled and nodded before rushing outside. Kichiro followed after him and the two Uchiha stood in front of the lake in their backyard. The moon reflected off of the water turning the liquid into a flow of silvery-white ripples. The night breeze blew through Kichiro’s hair and calmed his mind. Things felt right, if only briefly.“You ready?” Takuma asked as he dropped into fighting stance. Kichiro nodded quickly and copied his brother’s. He could see something different in Takuma’s eyes. Maybe, it was the moonlight. The elder of the Uchiha brothers rushed forward and Kichiro readied himself. Despite being in the hospital for days, Takuma’s speed hadn’t diminished in the slightest. Kichiro barely had time to react to his brother’s kick, but managed to bring up his arm to block.

“You ready?” Takuma asked as he dropped into fighting stance. Kichiro nodded quickly and copied his brother’s. He could see something different in Takuma’s eyes. Maybe, it was the moonlight. The elder of the Uchiha brothers rushed forward and Kichiro readied himself. Despite being in the hospital for days, Takuma’s speed hadn’t diminished in the slightest. Kichiro barely had time to react to his brother’s kick, but managed to bring up his arm to block.

Kichiro checked Takuma’s next kick and countered with a punch. He had been sparring with Takuma for years. He knew most of his tendencies by now. He’d probably drop to the ground to try and sweep Kichiro’s legs. Takuma did and Kichiro leapt over him and flipped to bring his heel down. The younger brother’s kick found only the ground and blades of grass ascended after the impact.

Takuma was nearly on Kichiro again and the two brothers clashed, banging their forearms together. Kichiro smiled and Takuma nodded. The younger boy was having fun and training with his brother was taking his mind off of everything that had occurred. His failures at school, his defeats at Kataki’s hands…Aobōzu.

A quick punch from Takuma snapped Kichiro back into focus. His brother shuffled his feet and then leapt forward. Takuma was so fast. It seemed that he was faster and more agile than he had been before. Perhaps, all he needed was rest. Takuma had been working very hard as of late to catch up to Sosei. Kichiro thought it might be finally paying off.

The two Uchiha brothers traded blows again and again. Each time, Kichiro’s confidence and happiness grew. He was strong. He could feel Takuma starting to put more effort into each of his counters. With his last punch, Kichiro saw Takuma backpedaling. He had him now. He could sense his victory coming now.

Then everything stopped.

Kichiro found himself alone in a void with darkness surrounding. Two blue lights shined on him. Clawed hands stretched out to grab him. There was cackling. The young Uchiha tried to escape before they…

“KICHIRO!” The boy gasped for air and fell to the ground, coughing. Takuma rushed over to him and fell to his knees. “No, no, no…breathe. Please breathe,” Kichiro’s brother said. Kichiro tried to do as he was told and took in another large breath. He saw his mother’s hair flash as she came out to the backyard. His father followed with a faint look of concern in his eyes. His mother was over him and yelling.

“What happened, Takuma?” she roared. She caressed Kichiro in her arms. Kichiro’s vision blurred, but he could see Takuma raise his hands and back away defensively.

“It was an accident,” he said. “I used a quick genjutsu to make Kichiro think I was attacking him from the front. It’s an easy and quick one. He usually breaks out of it!” he said. Kichiro’s head felt light and his eyes fluttered. Was this the effects of Takuma’s genjutsu…or what had happened earlier?

His father stared at him and frowned slightly. “He’s going into shock, Sakura,” he stated. Kichiro’s mother placed her hands on his head while his father approached and activated his Sharingan. Kichiro’s body was starting to go numb. He could faintly feel the cool breeze. The air smelled of rain. He thought he saw lightning flashing. Then, abruptly, the darkness came.

Suddenly, he could see once again. He was in the same void with the blue lights etching across the black and hands reaching out to grab him. Only this time, he saw that the lights were not simply lights, but eyes. The hands were familiar. He saw the face of the monster that wielded them. It was Aobōzu.

-/-

A light drizzle started to descend and Sosei was glad he had grabbed his cloak. Living in the Land of Water, he had grown accustomed to torrential downpours, but most often, those had occurred during the springtime when the weather was nice and he could stay inside and watch it with his mother. Rain in the autumn was a different matter entirely. The air was already starting to grow cold and the rain only made things chillier. The only thing keeping Sosei warm was the Uchiha fire burning in his chest and the exercise of following Komuji with the rest of Team Hae.

They had departed only minutes earlier, but at the speed they were traveling, Sosei guessed that they were miles away from the village gates by now. They had to be quick. This could be their last chance to truly catch up to and deal with the three captains. Handling the situation would be an interesting task. Sosei had virtually no knowledge of them or their abilities. Komuji had been unable to divulge any useful information, only telling the team to be on their guard.

During the journey, Sosei had begun to do some deductive reasoning. If they were captains of Yashin’s army, then they were most certainly defectors from Kirigakure. Natural born shinobi residents of the Land of Water had natural proficiency in water-based techniques, something that could be a thorn in the young Uchiha’s side. He also guessed that at least one of the shinobi, the blue-eyed one, was a skilled swordsman. Internally, Sosei had made that man his target. He had injured Takuma and for his brother’s sake, Sosei would get retribution.

A quick hand signal from Komuji brought the traveling ANBU party to a halt. Through the trees in front of them, Sosei could make out a small hut. Smoke came through the chimney. Whoever was inside, they didn’t care if they were seen or not.

The rain had begun to pick up now, dampening both noise and the branches Team Hae waited on. Everyone on Team Hae had their hoods pulled over their heads. Suzume shuffled next to Sosei and the Uchiha eyed her. The girl flashed him a smile.

“You excited?” she whispered. Before Sosei could answer, Komuji raised his hand again. His head was titled as he listened. Noboru Hyūga silently leapt next to the silver-haired Captain and he whispered softly, but loud enough for the entire group to hear.

“There are five people inside and three very large chakras. One is a man with long black hair and blue eyes. He has a sword next to his chair,” Noboru said. Komuji nodded.

“Then it would seem that we have our targets. Who are the two people inside without the large chakras? Civilians?” he asked. Noboru nodded.

“Yes. They are feeding them.” Komuji sighed.

“Alright then. They are citizens of the Land of Fire and innocent as far as I’m concerned. They’re probably being used as subtle hostages so our primary goal will be getting them out of the line of fire before we engage the targets,” Komuji said. Sosei frowned slightly.

“How do you suggest we do that?” he asked. “They may already know we’re here. They could have a sensor on their team.” Komuji shrugged and Suzume raised her hand.

“I could get the civvies out and to a safe place while you three attack the captains,” she suggested. Sosei agreed, but Noboru shook his head.

“I’m better suited for defensive measures than either of you are. You stay with the captain and Sosei,” Noboru said. Suzume smiled at the Hyūga and the two shared a brief intimate glance. Sosei’s eyes narrowed then Komuji spoke.

“Ok then. Noboru, you secure the civilians. We’ll attack. How many entryways are there?” Komuji asked. Noboru’s eyes flickered back and forth as he counted before he paused.

“At least 5 windows and one door,” he reported. Komuji blinked and then nodded.

“Then, let’s go.”

Sosei darted to the left of the house, staying in the canopy. Komuji went to the front, Suzume and Noboru stayed to the right. Sosei took in a deep breath and let the chakra in his body flow. He flexed his fingers and calmed his racing heart. The last remnants of the demons in his past sat in the house meters in front of him. Killing them would free him and allow him to continue his new life. Revenge and hate ate away at his soul.

He now had the opportunity to let it go.

There was a sequence of clicks followed by a chirp.

Sosei’s Sharingan blazed in its scarlet glory and the Uchiha leapt from the trees and plummeted to the house. He rolled on the ground with the impact and then dove through the window directly in front of him. His Sharingan predicted the knife flying towards his face just in time for him to react. Sosei titled his head and flipped to a corner. With a flick of his wrist, his ninjato blade slid from his forearm sheathe and into his hand. Komuji had already burst through the door and stood in the threshold of the home. Suzume stood on the far side of the room.

The three captains casually sat at the table. The two civilians, an old man and woman, shook as they stared at the armed shinobi in their home. The white-haired elder gawked.

“W-what is all this? Tell me who you are!” he demanded. The man with long black hair and blue eyes slid his chair back and stood up. His hand traced along the hilt of his sword.

“It would appear that these are Konoha shinobi, elite ANBU from the looks of them. Here to kill us,” he said. The old woman gasped.

“Us?” she blanched. A younger woman siting at the table scoffed.

“Not you two tired, old fucks. ‘Us’ as in…”

“The three former captains of Yashin’s army,” Komuji finished. “We have orders to kill or capture you three. So, I’ll give you the chance to come quietly and cooperatively.” The younger woman snickered.

“You’ll _give_ us the chance to come _quietly_? How about I give you the chance to go fuck yourself!” she spat. The blue-eyed man raised a hand.

“Come now, we haven’t even had proper introductions.” The words slithered from his mouth. Sosei frowned. This was bad. He felt like something was off. His Sharingan darted around the room. He only counted four people in the room aside from his team. His eyes then widened. Where was the third captain?

Realization hit him like a brick.

 _Noboru_.

Sosei turned and darted to the window. In that moment, chaos ensued. The blue-eyed shadow came behind him and Komuji moved to stop him, only for the young woman at the table to intercept. Suzume followed through with her original idea and went for the old couple.

Sosei landed outside and turned to face his attacker. The blue-eyed man stood in front of him with his sword at his side. It was an odd sword to Sosei, some kind of strange straight blade that ended in a triangle at the tip. Sosei had never seen a sword like this in all of his life. The blue-eyed man smirked.

“Ah, I see,” he said. “You’re an Uchiha. Probably the brother of that genin I encountered days ago…and a son of Sasuke yourself.” Sosei gripped his blade tightly as he felt his anger stir. His Sharingan bore into the man.

“You dared to lay a hand on my brother.” Sosei brought his sword up. “Hell will freeze over before you get the chance to do it again.” With a quick muster of chakra, Sosei darted forward and struck with his blade. It was a weak attack, but it didn’t need to do anything except shift the blue-eyed man from in front of the house. With their positions reversed, Sosei took in a deep breath and let loose a massive fireball.

The flaming sphere torched through the trees and Sosei saw the man dodge to the side. As the Uchiha prepared to let loose a barrage of shuriken, the blue-eyed man’s own kunai sped towards Sosei. His sword deflected them but when he lowered it, the blue-eyed man was on him. Sword flurries came forward and Sosei’s Sharingan gave him enough precognition to block and parry most of the strikes, while dodged the others.

The two combatants performed a deadly dance as the rain began to fall at a more rapid pace, putting out the fiery trees and clouding the surrounding area in smoke. Sosei’s cloak deflected most of the rainwater from his body, but his grip on his sword was beginning to cause his hands and fingers to cramp. The blue-eyed man kept up his intensity and speed. Each strike seemed to be faster, stronger and accurate. Sosei couldn’t keep blocking. He needed a break to reassess his strategy. The blue-eyed man smirked again and without a single hand seal, he began to strike with jutsu.

“ _Fūton: Shinkūgyoku_!” he said, shooting a barrage of wind chakra at him. The hand seals would take too much time. Wind release would only heighten his attack and it’d be a perfect time to try out his new technique.

“ _Katon: Senpuu no Nenshou_!” A swirl of flames exited Sosei’s mouth and collided with the blue-eyed man’s wind jutsu. Just as Sosei suspected, the swirling flames intensified and spread out. They almost seemed ready to overtake the blue-eyed man, but he responded in a way befitting a shinobi. He countered.

His water jutsu didn’t come with a massive announcement or declaration of its arrival. The water simply came and extinguished Sosei’s fire. The smoke created a cloud and Sosei stood still and awaited the blue-eyed man’s next move.

There was a crash in the canopy and a tree fell, plowing into its neighbors. Sosei’s head turned to where the trees had fell. His Sharingan quickly scanned. He couldn’t see Noboru or his potential assailant. He could still hear the blue-eyed man’s female companion as she grunted and cursed in her battle against Komuji. Sosei heard a series of crashes and saw the young woman fly out of the front door. The Hatake boy followed her with his hand extended. The young woman grimaced and in an instant, she drew a kunai from her pouch and slashed his chest.

            Sosei tried to get to his feet and rush to his captain’s aid, but the blue-eyed man quickly intercepted him and stood in his path. The Uchiha performed a tiger seal and charged his chakra for a fire jutsu. The blue-eyed man held his hand to his side. Sosei felt an odd chill in the air, cooler than the nip of autumn he had felt before. His eyes darted down to the blue-eyed man’s left arm. Frost began to cover it, creeping down and spreading until his entire left forearm was frozen and sharpened into a blade. The Uchiha’s eyes widened. What was he witnessing?

“Y-you’re…?” he started. The blue-eyed man smirked.

“A descendant of the Yuki clan, born in the same village that saw to it that my clan was slaughtered. Not thoroughly, mind you, but enough,” the blue-eyed man said. He flexed his muscles and multiple ice spikes protruded from his arm. Sosei saw the ice blades fly towards him before they did and dodged to the left.

The ice followed.

As soon as he realized it, he drew up his sword to guard his face and deflect. The ice didn’t come straight towards him. Some attacked high, others attacked low. A few even went to his side. Sosei did his best to deflect them all and what he couldn’t keep from his body, his cloak took with a few scratches to show for it. Judging by the way the ice spikes followed him, Sosei guessed that they had to be controlled by the Yuki man’s chakra. The traveled quickly too. But even controlled by chakra, their movements could be predicted by his eyes.

Sosei now needed a way to deal with the ice techniques. Ice Release was a kekkai genkai that required water and wind natures. Fire worked well against wind but failed against water. Lightning could travel and shock in water but wind could cause it to dissipate. The young Uchiha had an idea. Sakura had packed rubbing alcohol in his pouches. Sosei reached to his belt and attempted to draw it out into his hand, but the blue-eyed man burst forward with his ice arm-blade and his straight sword, whirling both around.

This time, Sosei’s Sharingan struggled to keep up. The movements were too swift and erratic. Even if Sosei _could_ predict the movements of the blades, he didn’t know if he had enough speed to counter or even dodge. The best he could manage was a few blocks or parries with his ninjato before he finally rolled away into the mud. The blue-eyed man followed. He slid across the ground, kicking up mud that acted as a screen. Before the mud could splash over Sosei, it literally froze. The blue-eyed Yuki had to be behind it.

The Uchiha felt two sword swings slice into his back followed by a kick that sent him through the frozen mud wall and into a puddle. He listened and waited to see how far away the blue-eyed man was. The soft, casual splashing of his feet told Sosei that he was a little ways off and that the Uchiha had some time. His cloak shielded his body from view and Sosei worked quickly to withdraw the rubbing alcohol from his pouch. He slowly rose to his hands and knees. The rubbing alcohol poured onto Sosei’s blade. Now, he just needed a small spark.

Using a quick burst of fiery chakra, Sosei let loose a miniature fireball that caught the blade. The results were immediate. The entire ninjato blade was covered in flame and when Sosei stood to face the blue-eyed man, the Uchiha could see his face frown. The fire was hot and illuminated everything around Sosei. This was only step one. In his left hand, Sosei focused his chakra. Electricity and chakra fused into a volatile, chirping mixture that sparked and shot out. The blue-eyed man’s confidence seemed to diminish. Sosei could feel the Uchiha’s pride welling within him. He rushed forward with his flaming sword and Chidori. If neither attack cancelled the Ice Release, it’d at least do damage to the blue-eyed man’s body. Sosei swung his sword and Chidori with as much power as he could muster. The blue-eyed man didn’t even have time to move. Sosei’s blade and Chidori stabbed into him. When Sosei’s eyes blazed up at him, the blue-eyed man’s face hadn’t changed.

Something was wrong.

Sosei felt cold overtake his body, surrounding him in a thick sheet of ice. The blue-eyed man’s body disappeared. The Uchiha frowned. It was an ice clone. Sosei heard splashing as the man walked towards him. The Uchiha listened, but couldn’t hear the sounds of anyone else fighting. His team had been separated. The blue-eyed man walked in front of Sosei and the defiant young man stared up at him.

“I’m quite impressed,” the man said. “Konoha’s new generation has certainly produced some powerful shinobi. But you, boy…you could be so much stronger. At the stage you are now, I could flick you like an ant.” Sosei frowned.

 “Let me free and we’ll test those words,” he spat. The blue-eyed man laughed.

“Oh no, we’ve done enough playing with children in the past few days. If this is the force that your precious Hokage is going to send to try and stop us, I fear our plans are going to come to fruition.”

“Plans?” Sosei asked. “What plan?”

“If I told you that, you’d have to be killed, young Uchiha.” The blue-eyed man smiled. “But, I don’t want to do that, not yet. You may be of some use to me in the future.”

“You think I’d do anything but kill the man followed the one who made sure he killed my mother and uncle, and destroyed my home? The man who sent assassins to kill my little sister? And the man who nearly cost my brother his eyesight?” Sosei frowned. “Fuck. You.”

The blue-eyed man crept forward, his eyes showing a new, devilish level of menace now. The fire in them was so clear to Sosei, they even appeared to flash yellow. Without words, an ice sword formed in his hand and stabbed forward. Pain shot through Sosei’s chest and his vision blurred as he looked down. Blood was spraying then freezing in the ice. The Uchiha could barely breathe.

The blue-eyed man’s two companions landed next to him, all garbed in black clothing with highlights that matched their eye colors. Writing was on the hem of all their clothes. From what Sosei could tell, they read “Three Deaths”.

The young woman smirked. “Little Uchiha shit’s got a hole in his chest,” she snickered. The other male with green eyes looked at the blue-eyed man. He was a stocky, muscle-bound being. His eyes resembled a cat’s.

“What are we doing with him?” he asked. The blue-eyed man blinked.

“Introducing ourselves. We’ve already properly been acquainted with his team,” the blue-eyed man said. Sosei’s eyes widened.

“You…you didn’t…”

“Kill them?” the woman asked. She then smiled sadistically. “I’ll say we did if you cry for me, pretty boy.” She flipped her hair and folded her arms. “My name is Anadori, the Fear of Death.”“My name is Gekido, the Sorrow of Death,” the green-eyed man said. The blue-eyed man folded his arms.

“My name is Gekido, the Sorrow of Death,” the green-eyed man said. The blue-eyed man folded his arms.

“And I am Yashagorō, the Death-Breaker,” the blue-eyed man said. “Now, we’ve left you alive for a purpose. Round up whichever of your comrades are still alive and run to your Hokage. Tell him that Death is here. Death is waiting. Death is inevitable.”

With that, Yashagorō placed his hand on the ice prison that Sosei was in and released him. The young Uchiha fell to the ground and clutched his chest. His blood dripped through his fingers.

“If you want to live long enough to deliver my message to the Hokage, you’d better use whatever’s in those pouches,” Yashagorō said before he and his companions departed into the trees, leaving the Uchiha in his own blood.

Reluctantly, Sosei followed the man’s advice and was glad that Sakura had labeled each of the pouches. Sosei could feel his life flickering away. He read each of the pouches as quickly as he could until he found one that said “slug slime, regenerative healing ointment”. The Uchiha burst the pouch open and rubbed the ointment on his sizzled left arm and on the hole in his chest. It worked quickly but the pain was intense. Whatever Sakura had concocted was re-growing skin cells and reattaching skin cells. As he laid on the ground, contemplating Yashagorō’s words and message, Sosei realized one thing. The mission had failed.

He had gained some kind of intel in learning the abilities of Yashagorō and the names of the three but other than that, the entire operation was a failure. He didn’t even know if anyone on his team was still alive. Was he truly the only one that had survived?

“Sosei? Are you alive?” a familiar but somber voice called. Sosei rolled over and grimaced. He saw Captain Komuji. His body was badly cut and he was covered in blood. His porcelain mask was cracked in half and he held the remnants of it in his hand. For some odd reason, he looked saddened.

“I’m breathing,” the Uchiha replied. “Where are the others?” he asked. Komuji sighed and dipped his head.

“Can you walk?” he asked. Sosei attempted to stand to his feet and fight the pain, but to no avail. Komuji immediately came to his side and held him up. “Come on,” he said.

Sosei and Komuji walked past the destroyed hut and the fallen trees. Sosei saw a trail of blood and his head fell. Komuji stopped and Sosei looked up. Underneath a tree trunk, laid the upper half of Noboru’s body. His head was in Suzume’s lap and the young woman cried. Her entire body shook with every sob. Blood trickled from Noboru’s mouth and his already pale eyes were glazed over. His skin was starting to get pale.

“Don’t leave me, No-no,” Suzume wailed. “I’m not ready…I’m not ready.” Komuji sat next to her and rubbed her shoulder until she burst out into more tears and leapt into Komuji’s arms. Sosei watched the scene and then turned away into the direction that the Three Deaths had fled. Yashagorō’s final words came back to haunt him.

_Death is here. Death is waiting. Death is inevitable._

Sosei squeezed his fist tight. Emotions overwhelmed him, flooding over him like the rains that fell from the skies above. His Sharingan activated again, but he could feel more power in his eyes now. There was more clarity and more hatred for the enemies that had stolen yet another life from him and the world. When he turned to face Komuji and Suzume, they stared up into his eyes and were captivated.

Silently, Sosei walked to the nearest puddle and looked into it. What he saw was no longer the Sharingan. The tomoe had disappeared and had been replaced by a black circle with half-completed black rings and tomoe rotating on the outside of it. Sosei recognized instantly what he had accomplished. He had spent hours reading through the Uchiha histories and he become closer to leaving his mark in those books.

He had awakened the Mangekyō…and all the enemies of those he loved would suffer.


	6. Pioneer's Night Out

_If he doesn’t wake up, it’ll be my entire fault._ Takuma repeated those words in his head from the moment his parents brought Kichiro back into the house and laid him on the bed. Hikari cried and grabbed at his pants’ leg. His mother shooed him away and Takuma’s baby sister followed him.

“What happened to Kichi!?” she squealed with tears flowing down her face. Takuma shook his head.

“I-I don’t know,” Takuma answered. In all honesty, he had no idea what had happened. He and Kichiro always played around with genjutsu and Takuma never put anything on him that he didn’t think an Academy student could break out of. When Sosei trained with Kichiro, he definitely applied more power than Takuma could. What was wrong with Kichiro?

Takuma felt obliged to sit in the living room as he often did when he was younger as he awaited his parents’ punishment. He didn’t get into trouble often as a little boy, but the two times that he had, the wait in the living room had been the longest, most insufferable time of his life. If he had hurt his brother, Takuma felt that whatever punishment he received wouldn’t be enough. Takuma loved Kichiro. Ever since his little brother had been born, he had felt a strong attachment to him. Kichiro was everything that Takuma was not, personality-wise. While Takuma had developed an odd pragmatism, Kichiro always remained either overly excitable or sad about something. Takuma hoped and prayed that his brother would wake up soon. He needed him to wake up soon.

When the young Uchiha heard his parents’ bedroom door open, he nearly turned his entire body to see if Kichiro was walking out or even being carried in someone’s arms. Instead, all Takuma saw was his father. Sasuke’s Sharingan was still activated and his stare caught Takuma off guard. There was anger in his father’s eyes but Takuma had the distinct feeling that it wasn’t aimed towards him.

“Is Kichiro alright?” Takuma ventured to ask. His father looked down at him, stared for a while then closed his eyes and sighed.

“No,” Sasuke replied. “Right now, he’s in an medical ninjutsu induced coma. Your mother and I will tend to him tonight.” With his last words, the elder Uchiha headed to the front door. Takuma could only guess that his father was heading out to blow off steam. Something was definitely wrong.

“Father,” Takuma said. Sasuke stopped and seemed to take in a deep breath.

“Yes?”

“What did you see with your Sharingan?” Takuma gulped. Sasuke turned to him and folded his arms. He didn’t answer for a while until finally, he dropped his arms.

“It seemed like a nightmare, something that’s simply stuck in his subconscious. A blue eyed monk reaching out and pulling him into darkness. Somehow, your genjutsu activated it,” Sasuke said. Takuma gawked.

“I’m sorry!” he said. “I didn’t mean to do it. I use that particular genjutsu against him all of the time and he breaks out of it easily. I-“

“I know you didn’t do it and I know how skilled of a genjutsu breaker Kichiro is. He’s broken some of my lower-level Sharingan genjutsu easily,” Sasuke said. Takuma felt his mouth drop before a smile formed on it. Kichiro was his little brother after all.

“Then, what do you think his nightmare is? A genjutsu of some kind?” Takuma asked. His father dipped his head.

“Yes.” Takuma nodded and sighed. Someone had placed some kind of genjutsu nightmare restraint on Kichiro. The questions now were, who and why?  
Takuma’s father stood and looked at him for a little bit and then sighed softly.

“Your mother and I are going to go to work on Kichiro. We may not be available for a while. There’s still light outside,” he said. Takuma understood the unspoken command that his father was giving. Sasuke wanted Takuma to leave the house.

“Yes, sir,” the young Uchiha nodded. He turned on his heels and went to his room and changed his clothes. He threw on a black hoodie with white stripes and white pants. The boy stretched and sighed as he left his room. His father had disappeared from the living room.

And Takuma did the same.

It was truly chilly outside, with wind gusting every now and then. The air seemed moist and Takuma could see storm clouds starting to roll. He wondered how far away Sosei was on his mission. He hadn’t left that long ago, at least it seemed. He might’ve crossed the country by now. Takuma’s feet led him into the village. The lanterns were starting to illuminate the street and people, shinobi and civilian alike, were outside. None of them seemed to have a care in the world. Takuma wondered if any of the jonin had any idea about the threat of Yashin’s three remaining captains. Maybe, the Hokage had kept that information strictly on a need to know basis.

The young Uchiha smiled as he gathered an idea of where he wanted to go. Naruto always opened up his home to both Takuma and Kichiro whenever they wanted to get away. Granted, the two brothers hadn’t taken him up on the offer since Takuma was a toddler going to see Honami for play-dates. Hopefully now, the Hokage wouldn’t be too busy. Takuma didn’t have too many options.

The Academy building loomed over Takuma and the young Uchiha smiled as memories from his time as a student, acing every drill he ever went through and impressing every instructor he had. He was fairly popular, even now, though Takuma was too introverted to actually indulge in conversations with everyone. People his age just happened to always look up to him.

Except for one. Hajime Hyūga.

He was a relative of Honami’s, although the relation was rather distant. Despite that, he was a standout prodigy amongst the Hyūga clan, second only to Honami. He also seemed to have an arrogant air about him, though he kept it quiet. He was supremely confident in his abilities and Takuma had never had a chance to spar with Hajime. Perhaps one day, he’d get the chance.

Takuma’s fist knocked against the door to the Hokage’s mansion and waited patiently. He saw the shadow approaching the door and heard the locks click. The door opened and Honami’s mother, Lady Hinata stood in front of Takuma. Respectfully, the young Uchiha bowed.

“Good evening, Lady Hinata,” he said. The former Hyūga heiress dipped her head and smiled politely and genuinely.

“Hello, Takuma. How are you?” The young Uchiha searched for words for a brief moment.

“I’m alright. It’s just some things going on and…” Takuma started.

“Hinata, who is it?!” Naruto yelled from inside the house. Hinata turned her head fractionally.

“It’s Takuma,” her soft voice magically seemed to carry across the room.

“Oh, let him in. I’ll be out in a second,” the Hokage replied. Hinata seemed to giggle inwardly and turned around. Takuma followed her into the living room and was shocked by what he saw.

The mansion was beautiful and looked to be newly refurbished. There was a distinct old-fashioned aesthetic with both the Hyūga and Uzumaki clan symbols hanging prominently around the house. Lavender and orange accented the white and cream colors of the home. It managed to reflect both Lady Hinata’s preferred color as well as the Hokage’s. It was brighter and more optimistic than the black, dark blue and red colors that hung around his home. Takuma’s house looked more like an armory.

“How are you doing?” Hinata asked again, causing Takuma’s head to turn to her. She must’ve been referring to his injuries after his mission.

“Oh, I’m doing fine. The headaches have faded and everything’s clear now,” Takuma replied. Hinata nodded.  
“I was worried about you three.” Lady Hyūga then paused. “The first thing Honami wanted to do when she woke up was come to see you.” Takuma’s eyes widened slightly.

“Really?” he asked. Hinata nodded and smiled.

“She’s very fond of you. It reminds me a lot of the way I fawned over Naruto…well, she’s much more straightforward with her feelings,” Hinata laughed. Takuma’s heart began to pound as he thought on Lady Hinata’s words.

This wasn’t the first time somebody had told him the obvious. He and Honami liked each other but like children, they danced around their emotions. Takuma felt he was too young to fully understand the depth of love. He loved his parents and he loved his siblings, even Sosei. But, loving someone else that wasn’t related to him? He didn’t understand it. He thought he had felt strong emotion when he thought Honami had been killed by one of the rogue shinobi. That’s what had caused his Sharingan to try and activate. Was that love?

“Takuma, my boy,” the Hokage said as he strode out to the living room. Takuma looked up and saw the blonde man stand next to Lady Hinata and grin. “What a surprise seeing you. You haven’t been here since you could barely walk,” he said.

“No, where are you going? Come back in here, Arashi!” a voice called. Takuma recognized the voice and heard a baby’s giggle. Naruto smirked as a small child tumbled between his legs and laughed as it looked up at him. The Hokage bent down and picked up the miniature version of himself and tickled him.

“Speaking of barely walking,” he said with a laugh. Takuma smiled. The entire village had rejoiced when Lady Hinata had finally given birth to her second child. Honami had been especially excited to have a little brother. Even though she had found some happiness with Setsuka around, Takuma knew that Honami wanted a new, real sibling.

Takuma blushed when he saw Naruto’s daughter come from around the corner. Honami stood next to her mother and father. Her hair was tied up in a ponytail and she wore a large, loose shirt and high shorts. She and Takuma locked eyes briefly before Honami suddenly blanched and ran back around the corner. Naruto watched her then grinned at Takuma. The Hokage passed his baby son, Arashi, to Hinata then whispered something in her ear. His Hyūga bride nodded and kissed the Hokage softly before heading back around the corner.

“Lord Hokage,” Takuma said as he dipped his head. Naruto grabbed the young Uchiha and ruffled his hair.

“For the love of God, kid,” he laughed. “You can at least drop the formalities in my home.” Takuma chuckled back.

“Yes, sir,” Takuma replied. Naruto sighed and sat down across from Takuma.

“Ok,” the Hokage said. “An Uchiha visiting my house at night is typically either bad news or a call for advice. So which do you need today?” Takuma twiddled his thumb and felt himself begin to shrug. He stopped. He did want to ask the Hokage his advice on something.

“I…I wanted to talk about my brother. Sosei,” he said. The Hokage seemed shocked at first but he then nodded his head.

“Ok…go on.”

“What do you think bout him? I guess, as a shinobi and as a person?” Takuma asked. Naruto sat back and rubbed his chin.

“Hm…well, as a shinobi, I think you and I both know that Sosei is exceptional. He’s powerful, fast and has an extremely sharp mind for combat. I’ve only seen him fight against someone once, when he and his ANBU team escorted my clone to a little village near the coast. It was almost like watching your father all over again,” the Hokage said. Takuma nodded. That’s what he had expected.

“I see,” Takuma said.

“And that carries on to my view of him as a person. Sometimes, he’s too much like your father when he was younger,” Naruto said. Takuma waited eagerly and Naruto continued to speak. “There was a period in Sasuke’s life where he was heading into a very dark place and it took everything in my power to dig him out of it. I see Sosei going through the same things. The hatred that consumes a lonely soul.”

Takuma lowered his head. He had never looked at Sosei that way. He didn’t know what it felt like to be lonely or alone. People that loved and supported him had always surrounded him. Never had he once felt like his life was heading on a dark path. He had been privileged as Sasuke’s oldest, legitimate son and perhaps he had grown quietly arrogant at that fact. It took someone that had gone through loneliness and darkness to recognize it in someone else…

“Lord Hokage…have you ever been alone?” Takuma asked. Naruto smiled and looked up at the ceiling.

“For essentially the first twelve years of my life, not a single person in this village, except maybe the Third, Iruka-sensei and Hinata, saw me as anything except a monster. I was an outcast. I lived alone and I didn’t even have a friend. I wanted to be recognized and accepted by everyone so I strived to become Hokage to get that. As I grew up, that ideal changed and I got to meet so many great people and gain friends,” Naruto said.

Takuma was at a lost for words. He had never thought that the hero of Konoha and the most powerful shinobi in the world, more powerful than even Takuma’s father, was once a person that nobody even cared about. He looked down at his hands and plunged into deep thought. Was that how Sosei felt? Had Takuma been so blind and angry that he had pushed his brother away and further down the path of darkness?

“So, is there anything else that you want to talk about?” Naruto asked. Takuma looked up and then shook his head.

“No, sir. I think you’ve answered everything I wanted to ask,” he said. Naruto smirked and leaned forward. Takuma suddenly felt uneasy.

“You sure? No questions about a pretty, young red-haired girl that happens to be my daughter?” the blonde Hokage asked. Takuma blushed. Naruto laughed and put his hands behind his head. “I think that you’re a good kid and you’re very respectful. Honami is very selective with the people she opens up to and if she’s chosen you, I don’t see why you two can’t be ‘friends’.”

“I-I…thank you,” Takuma said softly. Naruto looked past Takuma and smiled. The young Uchiha turned his head and blushed when he saw Honami standing in the hallway. Now, she was wearing a lavender and cream hoodie with the Uzumaki clan symbol on her left shoulder and the Hyūga clan symbol on her right. She wore pants and sandals instead of her shorts. Her hair was still tied up in a ponytail, exposing the pretty oval that was her face. Takuma gulped. Honami looked beautiful.

Naruto rose from his seat and stretched. “Alright, kids. If you decide to leave the house, don’t stay out too long. You’ve got a test with Sasuke in the morning, don’t you?” he asked. Takuma nodded. The blonde Hokage walked past him and tapped his shoulder then kissed Honami on her forehead before heading down the hallway. Takuma and Honami faced each other and smiled.

“Hi,” Honami said.

“Hey,” Takuma replied.

“Do you want to go for a walk or something? Kind of in the mood for some Ichiraku.” Takuma chuckled and nodded. He was feeling a bit hungry.

“Yeah, let’s go,” the young Uchiha replied. Honami smiled and turned around to face the hallway.

“Mom, Dad, Takuma and I are going to Ichiraku’s!” she called.

“Cool! Just remember what I said,” Naruto answered back. Honami led Takuma out of the house and locked the door behind her. As the genin made their way down the steps onto Konoha’s streets, Takuma couldn’t help but notice the difference between his family life and Honami’s.  
His household placed such a heavy emphasis on power and training. Everyone in his family was an excellent shinobi. Hikari was starting to learn the basics of the human anatomy from Sakura already. Kichiro was quickly approaching his graduation time and Sosei was a shinobi that continued to outpace everyone else his age. Takuma didn’t consider himself a shabby ninja at all. But, everyone seemed to be rather cold and distant. Takuma knew everyone loved each other, but sometimes, it wasn’t always showed unless it had something to do with training.

With the hyperactive, exuberant Hokage as her father, Honami’s home life seemed to be far more casual and relaxed. Even Lady Hinata, a former princess in her own right, was calm and down-to-earth. The only really excitable person in their home was Honami’s baby brother, Arashi and that was only because he was two years old. Things were just calmer and warmer in their house. Naruto’s chakra was the same way. It was fiery and welcoming. Takuma’s father had a chakra that chilled the bones.

“Are you ok?” Honami asked. Takuma snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Honami.

“Yeah, just a little lost in my thoughts.” Takuma paused and then added, “I’m a little bit worried about the test tomorrow.” Honami giggled.

“Oh, we’ll be fine. We’re going to meet Shōgo at Ichiraku’s now,” she said. Takuma blinked.

“So…this isn’t a…” he said. Honami caught his eye contact.

“Well…no. Not really. A real date would be private, I guess. My dad is watching us now,” Honami said. Takuma’s eyes widened and he quickly looked around. Honami giggled. “Don’t try and look for him. He’s rather stealthy for all the bright clothes he wears.”

Takuma smirked. “Does this happen every time you go out with a boy?” Honami frowned and then smiled when it appeared she caught the sarcasm.

“No, Uchiha,” she said, sticking her tongue out. “He always sends a clone out when I leave the house. He’s pretty protective of me.”

“Even during our missions?” Takuma asked. Honami shook her head.

“No…though, it would’ve been helpful our last time out, right?” she said, laughing. Takuma nodded.

“Very.” The two walked a little further. “Why is Shōgo meeting with us?” Takuma asked.

“Discussing a strategy to try and get those bells from Sasuke-sensei tomorrow. We worked on one on the fly two years. Maybe this time, we can actually get them,” Honami said. Takuma laughed inwardly. Even if they did happen to catch his father slipping or off guard, he doubted that his Uchiha pride would allow him to be beaten by a trio of children. They could still try though.

Uchiha and Uzumaki walked to Ichiraku’s and saw the orange-haired, bespectacled Shōgo waving his arm to flag them down. Takuma and Honami sat at a table with Shōgo and ordered a bowl of ramen. Shōgo slurped up a mouthful and chewed.

“Ok,” he said with a full mouth. “Here’s what we’re gonna do.” He gulped down his food and continued talking. “So, we’ve got the Byakugan on our side and some super keen, almost precognitive eyes on Takuma. Odds are, Sasuke-sensei won’t be using his Sharingan during our test unless we push him. My suggestion…we don’t.” He took in another mouthful. “It’s a waste of chakra going all out against an opponent whose power essentially exceeds all of our potentials combined. It’s a bad move.”

“Yeah, you do have a point,” Honami said. Takuma nodded.

“Father is going to take us all down, no matter what techniques we use. We’ve got a better chance thinking strategically. It’s not about what we can do. It’s how we do it,” the young Uchiha said. Shōgo smirked.

“Agreed,” he said. “So, I have multi-step plan, complete with contingencies based on things that could happen. We’re going to need to be on our toes and keep our heads in the mission. You two have the power and skill necessary, I don’t.” Takuma smiled.

“Shōgo, you do have the skill,” he said. Honami nodded her agreement.

“You’re a genius. You might not have the combat skills now but your brain could help us win any war,” Honami said. Shōgo laughed.

“Ha, war. There’s probably never going to be another war while we’re still alive. The Hokage has established so many groundbreaking laws and pacts of peace that the Shinobi Nations will never be at war again. Even if a minor insurgency like Yashin’s posse shows up, they’ll get put down in a few hours,” Shōgo said. He shrugged. “I’ll probably help with building plans or something.” Takuma and Honami laughed.

“We’re shinobi, Shōgo,” Honami said.

“What’s that even mean anymore?” the orange-haired boy asked.

Takuma blinked and sighed. “It means that we’re gaining the power necessary to ensure the peace that the generations established before us lasts through our lifetimes as well,” he said. “Isn’t that why you chose to abandon civilian life? To make sure you had the power to protect your mother and little sister.” Shōgo seemed to ponder that point for a moment.

“Hm, I suppose you’re right, Takuma. I guess it isn’t pointless being trained to be a killing machine after all,” Shōgo said dryly before smirking and then grinning widely. Takuma and Honami laughed. Their ramen arrived shortly after and the three teammates ate and talked on Shōgo’s plan. Takuma thought it was solid, so long as everything was executed perfectly. The contingencies themselves only allowed for a few minor slip-ups. Not a major failure to perform. They rehearsed the steps until Takuma remembered them word for word in his head.

When they were finished talking about the plans and eating ramen, Shōgo yawned and looked at Takuma and Honami. “So, we’re clear on everything?” he asked.

Honami nodded. “Yes.” Her pale eyes then looked to Takuma. “Do you think Sasuke-sensei will fall into our trap?”

The question is more, _‘Will Sasuke-sensei not see through our trap and end our plan before we even get started.’_ Takuma thought. He had no idea what kind of mood his father would be in and depending on his patience level, he’d probably be more apt to be more serious than usual. But, Takuma did think that their plan would at the very least impress his father.

“He may not fall into it, but our goal isn’t capturing or defeating him. We just need to make sure that he’s impressed. If we go all out with our plan, I think that there’s a good chance that we’ll do just that,” Takuma answered. Shōgo and Honami exchanged a glance and then smiled.

“Then we’re golden,” the orange-haired boy said. He stood up from the table and grabbed his notebook. Yawning, he said, “Ok. I’m going to go home and get some rest. See you guys tomorrow.” Honami waved.

“Bye, Shōgo,” she said. Takuma dipped his head and waved. When Shōgo was out of sight, Honami softly sighed. Takuma looked over to her and saw the red-haired girl staring up at the ceiling. The young Uchiha blinked.

“Are you alright?” he asked. Honami quickly looked over to him then smiled.

“Oh yeah, I’m ok. Just…” she paused. “Nervous about tomorrow.”

“I know. I am too. It’s a big milestone in our lives. We just got our first real mission a few days ago,” Takuma said. Honami hung her head.

“And we essentially blew it,” she said. Takuma shook his head and then looked around before he began to speak.

“We would’ve been fine had it not been for those three rogue shinobi attacking us. It wasn’t our fault,” the young Uchiha said. Honami shrugged.

“I guess you’re right,” she said. “What do you even think the Chunin Exams will be like? I heard that in the past there were three stages. The first was a written exam, the second a mission simulation in the old Forest of Death and the third was a combat test.” Takuma rubbed his chin.

The Chunin Exams used to include young shinobi from all over the world. Takuma wondered if that would be the case on this occasion or if there were so few teams being advanced because of the restrictions that the Hokage would simply only include Konoha shinobi. Takuma’s mother had told him about the first time she and Takuma’s father had taken the exam. Suna and the terrorist, Orochimaru, attacked Konoha, their invasion ending when the Third Hokage gave his life defending the village. It was a tale of legend.

“I don’t know,” Takuma admitted. “With things being so peaceful now, we might only do a written test and a combat test. It may be singles or team battle. Either way…”

“Either way, you’ll fail,” a voice said. Honami’s pale eyes raised and Takuma turned into the direction of the voice. Standing behind their table was Hajime Hyūga. The boy had grown a fair bit taller and his dark brown hair draped down to the middle of his back. He wasn’t alone. Takuma could see members of his team sitting at their table, eating and talking. Apparently, they hadn’t even noticed he left. The Hyūga boy folded his arms.

“Hello, Hajime,” Honami said politely. Hajime looked down at her with distain.

“Honami,” he said. His eyes then went to Takuma. “You, Takuma…I hear you’re the Uchiha who won’t ever have a Sharingan.” Takuma shifted in his seat and frowned. He could feel Honami’s gaze on him. Hajime smirked. “How’s it feel to be a failure to your family?” Anger welled up in Takuma’s chest, but he calmed it quickly. He was out in public and it’d be an embarrassment to his father if he got into a fight in a restaurant.

“I think you should go back to your team, Hajime,” Honami said. “Looks like they’re having a lot of fun without you.” Hajime snorted.

“They’re talking about the success of our recent mission. Our third completed B-rank in a row. Our sensei is talking about presenting us to the Hokage for the Chunin Exams. Just wondering how a group of clowns that failed to even bring a emissary into the village could possibly think of being skilled enough to try for chunin. If you ask me…”

“Nobody asked you, blowhard,” Honami said. Hajime glared at her.

“Listen to me, you half-bred little bitch…” Takuma had had enough. He shot to his feet and stared Hajime in his eyes. Takuma could feel the fire burning in his chest and his fist ball up. Hajime smirked. “There it is…” he said. Takuma’s nostrils flared.

“If you ever address Honami out of her name again, I will break your trachea,” he said. Hajime narrowed his eyes but didn’t speak. Before he could open his mouth again, a large hand clasped at his shoulder. Takuma looked up and saw a male jonin with spiky brown hair, a blue scarf and the beginnings of a beard.

“Hajime, how about you go sit with Mimi, Buchimaru and Juusei?” he said. Hajime sighed softly, his ego deflated.

“Yes, Konohamaru-sensei.” The Hyūga boy gave Takuma one last glare and then headed back towards his team. The jonin known as Konohamaru shook his head then sighed softly. His black eyes looked to Takuma and Honami.

“Hey, Honami. Are you alright?” he asked. The red-haired girl nodded.

“Yes, Uncle Konohamaru. I’m fine,” she said. The Sarutobi clansman then looked at Takuma and smiled.

“Ah, you’re Sasuke’s son alright. I can see the angry Uchiha in your face right now,” he chuckled. Takuma consciously changed his face and dipped his head.

“I’m sorry,” he said. Konohamaru laughed.

“To me? You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s that prick of a student that I need to apologize for. Don’t know where the hell he gets that from,” the man said. “Anyway, couldn’t help but overhear that you guys are thinking about going for the Chunin Exams. I personally think that you’ve got a better shot at advancing than any other genin.” Honami laughed.

“You’re just saying that because I’m your niece, Uncle.” Konohamaru raised his finger.

“And an exceptional kunoichi. You’ll do great.” His eyes then turned to Takuma. “I’ve also heard great things about you as well. I look forward to seeing you guys in action very soon,” Konohamaru said. He waved and then walked back to his team. Takuma’s eyes followed him and he caught sight of Hajime glaring off into the distance before he turned his head slowly to face Takuma with his Byakugan flashing quickly. It was a challenge. Takuma hoped now more than ever that he’d get a chance to smack Hajime’s smirk from his face.

“Well,” Honami said. “I’m ready to go.” Takuma nodded his agreement and quickly, he and his teammate left their table. Takuma dropped a few coins on the counter at the front to pay for their meal and the two genin exited Ichiraku. It was colder outside than it had been when they first entered and the first gust made Honami shuffle closer to Takuma. The young Uchiha blushed slightly and looked down at the girl. He didn’t move. Takuma liked having Honami next to him.

They walked back quietly through the streets of Konoha to the Academy building. They paused in front and Honami turned to face Takuma. The wind gusting through her hair made the girl particularly beautiful. Takuma could feel his heart throbbing in his chest. Honami smiled.

“It was fun being with you two again,” she said. “When we were discussing the plan, I saw this…spark in your eyes. It was great.” Takuma nodded. It felt good to be a part of the team. He felt confident that they could succeed and move on. He knew that his father would… “And I think you’re great.” Takuma froze and his thoughts fizzled out. Everything in his brain went to mush and nonsense. What did he say next? What did he do next?

“I-I…I think you’re…” Takuma said. Honami smiled again and then giggled. What did that mean? Takuma thought. He knew in moments. Honami was leaning forward and angling her head up. Was she…trying to kiss him? Takuma was frozen again and stayed still. This was happening. He was about to kiss Honami…

“Nice to see you two are back home safe,” Naruto said. Takuma’s entire face turned red and his eyes went white. Honami backed away from him, quickly and rubbed the back of her head, laughing. Naruto had a stern look on his face and folded his arms. “Say goodbye to Takuma, Honami,” he said. The red-haired girl did as her father bid her and dipped her head to Takuma. Takuma gulped and did the same and watched as she walked inside. The Hokage then stepped in front of him and glared down at him. Takuma gulped.

“I-I…I apologize, Lord Hokage,” he said, attempting to bow. Naruto instead put his hand on Takuma’s back. When the Uchiha looked up, he saw that Naruto was smiling at him. Grinning.

“No need to apologize. Honami likes you a lot and you make her happy. I approve of you two seeing each other so long as that continues,” he said. Then his face went grim. “But, if you ever hurt my little girl, there is no place you’ll be able to hide from me, understood?” he said. Takuma nodded.

“Yes, sir.” Naruto dusted off his orange shirt.

“Good. Because you Uchiha have a tendency to hurt those you love…or be overly emotional. Hopefully, you’re not both like your father. Yeesh.” Naruto shuddered. When he was done, he smirked at Takuma. “Want me to take you home? I have your house marked.”

“Uh, yes. I should be home already,” Takuma replied. The Hokage nodded.

“Then let’s go.” The blonde man touched Takuma’s shoulder and the young Uchiha felt chakra swirl around them both. A bright flash of light shined in his face and in an instant, Takuma was in front of his house. His father stepped slowly from his porch and stared at Naruto.

“What happened? Are you ok?” Sasuke asked. Takuma nodded.

“Yes, sir. I’m fine,” he replied. Naruto flicked a finger.

“Ok…good.” Sasuke’s eyes then turned to Naruto. “Naruto…I need to speak with you.” Naruto raised an eyebrow then paused. Takuma watched the two carefully and they seemed to be sharing some unspoken language.

“Alright then,” the Hokage replied. Takuma’s father looked down at him.

“Go ahead to your room. You’ll need to rest up for tomorrow.”

“Is Kichiro alright?” Takuma asked. Sasuke sighed softly.

“Your mother is tending to him. He’s sleeping,” Sasuke replied. Takuma breathed a sigh of relief.

“Great…that’s great,” Takuma said. He dipped his head to his father and waved to the Hokage. “Goodnight, Lord Sixth,” he said. With his words, Takuma entered his house and immediately went down the hall to his parents’ room. Peering inside, he saw that they had laid out a makeshift bed for Kichiro in their room. His mother was in the room as well, asleep on the bed. Takuma wouldn’t dare enter. Kichiro looked to be peaceful enough. As long as his brother was alive, Takuma didn’t have to worry. He had enough on his plate and his parents would take care of his little brother.

As the Uchiha boy made his way to his room and finally took off his clothes so he could sleep, he reflected on the night. Honami’s face, Shōgo’s plan, Hajime’s smirk, Kichiro’s fainting…then when his reflections ended, there was only darkness for him in the sleeping abyss…


	7. Success & Failure

_**A/N: So many problems writing this. My computer broke and I had to improvise a way to work it. And yes, I realize the chapter is quite short compared to what I usually give you guys, but don't fret. More is coming! And it will be glorious...please enjoy.** _

_**Also a warning...things may get a bit uncomfortable for sensitive readers.** _

* * *

 

Sosei volunteered to carry Noboru's body through the forest. The cold rain pelted his cloak and made everything heavier. His chakra reserves were low and that energy was the only thing that sustained him. Komuji and Suzume walked next to him. The girl had finally stopped crying, perhaps losing all of her energy. Komuji kept her walking forward and from falling into the mud. Sosei sighed softly. Everything was screwed.

The Uchiha had tried to track down the Three Deaths, but their trails evaporated quickly. The activation of his Mangekyo Sharingan had sapped his chakra to the point where it automatically deactivated itself. Noboru's death had broken the ANBU family that Sosei had been a part of for a year now. This was technically Team Hae's first mission failure. Sosei suspected that with the Three Deaths still roaming around the countryside, the Hokage would want to deal with the matter personally. Perhaps, he'd lead an ANBU squad himself. If anybody would be selected to be on that team, it'd be Komuji.

"How are you holding up, Sosei?" the Hatake boy asked as he walked next to the Uchiha. Sosei nodded his head.

"I'm fine. Just tired," he replied. In reality, his legs were sore, almost to the point of being numb. His back was aching and his arms were stiff.

"I know. Your legs look like they're shaking," Komuji said. He looked back at Suzume and then to Sosei. "We'll take a break here. When we start back towards the village again, I'll carry Noboru and you make sure Suzume is okay."

"Alright," Sosei said.

The Uchiha walked to a tree and paused. He set Noboru's body into an upright position and sat himself against a tree trunk. Sosei closed his eyes. It wasn't long before he was asleep. In his dream, he saw his siblings happily welcoming him home, Sakura smiling when he told her that her med-kit had actually helped him, and his father's look of disappointment when Sosei told him that their mission had failed. Then suddenly, he saw blue. At first, he thought it was Aori Hasuya's hair. When he backed away, he saw the blue was actually the eye of Yashagorō, flashing yellow with strange, slit pupils…

"Sosei, we're moving out," Komuji tapped Sosei's foot. The Uchiha's eyes quickly opened and he looked around. The Hatake had already grabbed Noboru's body. Sosei rose to his feet and his eyes went to Suzume. The young woman trailed behind Komuji. The Uchiha boy walked next to her and rubbed her shoulder with his finger. His touch caused her to look up at him, suddenly.

"What?" she asked, softly.

"We're moving out," Sosei replied. "We're going back home." Suzume absently nodded and laid her head on Sosei as the two began to walk. It was uncomfortable for the shinobi but if his teammate needed peace of mind, he'd let her do whatever she wanted. The Uchiha wasn't in a mood to argue or even be foul to Suzume, though she usually annoyed him.

The rain was coming down steadily now. The clouds blocked out the stars and the shine of the moon. Every few minutes, lightning flashed in the sky and lit the forest. The trees stretched for miles ahead and without Noboru's Byakugan, no one onSosei's team would be able to really see a threat or help approaching.Sosei sighed softly. It was going to be a long walk back home.

* * *

 

Takuma woke and showered. Within a few minutes, he was dressed. He zipped his greyish-white hoodie and wrapped bandages around his ankles and the bottom of his black pants. He wore his Konoha headband proudly on his forehead and counted every one of his shuriken and kunai before he placed them in his pouch. His hands and fingers were shaking. Takuma remembered every step and contingency failsafe of the plan Shōgo had concocted. Most of it rested on Takuma and Honami with Shōgo filling in as needed. The entire thing still made Takuma nervous. If he failed at any part, the entire plan may be botched. His future rested on his success.

Takuma stared intensely into the mirror. He breathed in deeply, calming his heart rate and then exhaled. He would not fail.

The young Uchiha stepped outside of the house and quietly shut the door. The rain had started to calm down, but it was still darker than it normally would be at six in the morning. Takuma took another short breath and headed out towards the training field that he and his team had done their first bell test. The air was cool and blew against his face. It calmed him and gave his mind a chilled focus. Faint sounds of thunder rolled above his head. He wondered if his father had planned on the test happening in the rain.

Takuma saw Shōgo standing in the middle of the field, carefully observing everything around him. When he saw Takuma, the orange-haired boy waved.

"Takuma, glad you're here. Rain is definitely on the way," he said. The Uchiha blinked.

"Is that…good?" Takuma asked. Shōgo smirked.

"Not exactly, but I've thought of ways to improvise. We have the dojutsu advantage with the Byakugan. Just have to wait for Honami to show up." The two boys waited a few minutes and before long, Takuma caught sight of Honami racing over the hill. She panted softly and sighed as she looked up at the two.

"Sorry, I'm late!" she said. Takuma smiled. Even with her hair ruffled, Honami didn't look bad at all.

"You're not late, Honami. We were just observing the surroundings. Figured out that we may not be at a disadvantage in the rain. Your Byakugan's range is virtually unlimited. With it, we'll be great," Shōgo said. Takuma nodded and sighed softly. He looked up into the sky. The gray clouds covered the heavens and the entire field was a dull tone. Takuma barely heard his father arrive.

"Are you three ready?" his voice carried across the field. Takuma looked him over and saw that he was dressed more formally than he usually would be. Sasuke wore his headband and flak jacket with a black long sleeve shirt underneath with the Uchiha crest on his sleeve. Takuma wondered where his father was headed after the test. Perhaps he had more to talk to the Hokage about.

"Yes, sir," Honami replied. Shōgo nodded his head and then looked to Takuma. The young Uchiha took in a deep breath then sighed.

It was time. "Ready," he said. Sasuke raised the bell in his hand, dangling from a red cord.

"The mission objective and parameters are exactly the same as the last time. You are to use teamwork and whatever means necessary to obtain this bell. You don't have long, either. I will let loose more as time wears on." Takuma saw his father's eyes look over his team. "Are you sure that you're prepared?" Sasuke asked. Takuma's team all nodded. Sasuke only blinked and rushed forward.

Takuma braced himself to be attacked, though he prepared a handseal and a kunai as a half-measure. Takuma's sensei didn't even make to him. A blast of chakra blew him backwards and Honami stepped to Takuma's side and established a Gentle Fist stance. Takuma and Honami exchanged a look. Takuma knew what was supposed to happen. The first of Shōgo's failsafe contingencies had been enacted. It was now on to step two. Takuma quickly gauged the surroundings. The ground didn't seem to be too wet or muddy. It was a good time for his next move.

"Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu!" Takuma spat. Fire balls sprayed from the Young Uchiha's mouth. None of them came particularly close to Sasuke, but Takuma controlled their trajectory as best he could with his chakra, causing the flames to land around the older Uchiha. Smoke began to arise and surround Sasuke. Takuma quickly nodded to Honami. It was time for the next phase.

The red-haired girl rushed forward, rotating on the balls of her feet and blasting a forceful wave of chakra from her hands. The middle of the smoke opened up, revealing only empty space.

"Honami, up!" Shōgo yelled. Takuma's eyes followed Shōgo's instructions and his ears caught the shrill sound of birds chirping. The young Uchiha gasped. His father was descending towards Honami with his Chidori lit in his hand. It was so bright that the light centered in on Sasuke.

"Honami!" Takuma shouted. His voice was soon muffled out by a crash. The young Uchiha felt his heartbeat fade to a halt. The smoke and dust began to settle and Takuma could make out his father's figure, then his full visage. He couldn't see Honami at all. Not until everything had been cleared away. Honami's body laid in front of Sasuke's feet, bloodied and unmoving. Takuma couldn't tell if his father had a look of concern on his face or if he was confused. What was going on?

"Takuma, let's move," Shōgo whispered. Takuma gawked at his friend.

"What the hell is wrong with you? Honami is..." Shōgo stared at Takuma.

"Trust me. We need to move now," he said as he ran forward and threw kunai at Sasuke. The raven-haired jonin deflected the knives and threw a kick at Shōgo. Takuma was in shock. How could his partner continue fighting when Honami had been taken out?

Where was Honami's body?

Takuma's eyes had cut towards the crater where she had been laying and saw absolutely nothing except the faint traces of white smoke floating into the air. The connection clicked in the Uchiha boy's brain quickly. Honami had created a shadow clone. He looked back over to where Shōgo and Sasuke were fighting back and forth. To Takuma's utter shock, Shōgo was actually holding his own, blocking Sasuke's strikes and throwing some of his own. A few were taking Sasuke by surprise. When Takuma looked closely, he could tell that something about Shōgo's fighting was very off for him. He was using two fingers and then his palms.

Gentle Fist techniques.

As Takuma lunged forward into the battle, his mind raced back through the plans that Shōgo had prepared. He skipped through all the steps that the orange-haired boy had instructed them to follow until he remembered a random contingency in the middle of all the talking. The faux sacrifice. Honami had created a clone and transformed herself into Shōgo. Wherever the team mastermind was now, he was certainly concocting a way to get the bell from Sasuke. The main question now was, did Sasuke-sensei know where Shōgo was.

Takuma threw a few kunai at his father and the older Uchiha dodged them in stride and kicked Shōgo/Honami away from him. There was enough distance between them for Takuma to quickly perform hand seals and unleash a grand fireball at his father. Sasuke stepped backwards and fired his own attack. Takuma rolled and tossed a few shurikken. Shōgo/Honami flanked Sasuke and unleashed a flurry of kicks and punches. Takuma's sharp eyes caught his father's as they began to shift from darkness to blood. His Sharingan had been activated.

Takuma initially felt a jolt of excitement that he and his teammates had managed to push his father to using his powerful eyes until he remembered his father's words. His father was starting to let loose now. Takuma didn't want to see what kind of power his father would pull out on his team. His mind flashed back to when his home had been attacked by assassins and Sasuke had summoned a purple, black-flame sword wielding skeleton engulfed in chakra to crush one in its hands as the assassin used explosive tags to dispatch him. Would his father even dare to pull out something so terrifying on genin?

Probably.

Sasuke read Shōgo/Honami's moves even easier now and Takuma charged his chakra when his father kicked his transformed teammate away. The younger Uchiha drew two kunai just as his father came towards him with his sword drawn. Takuma avoided eye contact, instead focusing on his father's mouth. Sasuke pressed forward and pushed Takuma, lifting him off his feet. The two Uchiha dueled in the mud, splashing with every step they took. The older man jabbed his sword forward and caught Takuma on his cheek. Blood spurted and dripped down his chin. Sasuke slashed again and ripped a long hole in Takuma's shirt. Takuma's eyes widened. His father was actively trying to kill him...

Takuma barely had time to react before his father hit him in the stomach with the hilt of his sword, dropping the boy down to his knees. Air left his mouth and he struggled to look up. When he did, the sky was still grey. His father was still garbed in black. His sword was high and sharp, raising to come down. His father's Sharingan was blood red. The sword began to fall.

"Takuma!" Shōgo yelled. Whether or not it was the real Shōgo, the Uchiha boy didn't know. What he did see was the orange-haired boy hovering over Sasuke and opening his hand. Had his eyes not been so perceptive, Takuma would've missed the small pieces of paper tightly folded that landed around his father. Shōgo rolled away and did a quick hand seal. Takuma felt the ground around him begin to rumble and the heat of fire blazing. His eyes caught bright red hair. Honami began to spin, creating a defensive chakra barrier that deflected the blast towards Sasuke.

When the fire had faded, Honami completed her spin and Takuma stood up. The two genin stood on guard but when the smoke cleared, there was nothing left but a log. A blackened, charred log. There was also something else attached to it. The red cord with the bell.

"We..." Honami started.

"Did Sasuke sensei leave that for us?" Shōgo said as he approached, panting slightly. Takuma blinked at the log. His father had simply left the bell behind?

"It looks like it," he replied. His father had been wearing more formal, Konoha business wear with his headband and flak jacket. Perhaps, he had business with the Hokage or he had a mission to go on. Either way...he was heading off somewhere important. And, Takuma and his team had passed. A smile crossed the young Uchiha's face and he looked at his teammates. They shared a smile with him and began to laugh.

They had passed!

* * *

 

"It was a failure." Komuji's words hit Sosei's ears and the Uchiha glanced up at the Hokage and his primary advisor, Shikamaru. It had taken them the entire night to travel from the burnt cabin back to Konoha. Even now, the sky was as grey as it was when they had left. Sosei's body ached from walking through the forest and his head pounded from the lack of sleep. In front of him, Naruto sat with his arms folded and a rare look of disappointment on his face. Shikamaru's face was as neutral as it usually was. His beady eyes shifted to Naruto. The Hokage sighed and closed his eyes.

"And Noboru was killed during the battle?" he asked. Komuji nodded. Sosei stared at the ground. Suzume was at the morgue with Noboru's body as it was being prepared for a formal burial by the Hyūga. Sosei was unsure of the relations between Lady Hinata and Noboru, but he assumed that any death in the Hyūga clan would hurt the Hokage and his family.

"Were you able to gather any useful information on their names or abilities at least?" Shikamaru asked with a sigh.

"The three former captains of Yashin's army call themselves the 'Three Deaths'. They gave their names. The woman is Anadori. There's a short, stocky man named Gekido and the leader calls himself Yashagorō," Komuji answered. Sosei raised his head.

"The leader is a descendant of the Yuki clan, ice-wielding shinobi from Kiri. The others didn't seem to have any particularly special abilities. At least none that they revealed to us," Sosei replied. Naruto nodded.

"Yuki...I fought a Yuki clan member before when I was a boy. I know just how dangerous they can be," he said as he rose from his seat and looked to Shikamaru. The Nara clan leader looked puzzled for a brief moment then his face returned to its normal, unbothered expression.

"What's your next plan of action, Lord Hokage?" he asked. Sosei watched Naruto's face grow dark and determined. Something sparked in his blue eyes like a flame deep within his soul.

"The Hyūga will bury Noboru and I will make an appearance...but, I will not take the death of one of my shinobi lying down." Naruto balled his fist as his eyes went down to Sosei. Something was happening. The air began to grow thick with chakra pressure. "I will personally handle the Three Deaths and they will answer for their crimes," Naruto said. A small gust of air whipped through the Hokage's office and Sosei turned around. Garbed in black and a green Konoha flak jacket, Sosei's father stood in regality behind him.

Sasuke Uchiha raised his head and gripped the hilt of his sword. "If you're going to face those shinobi, you're not going alone," the man said. "I'm with you." Naruto's face shifted to a smile and Sosei saw the Hokage nod to him and Komuji. The two ANBU members stood to their feet and at attention.

"Team Hae has served well. But, at this time, I order your team to rest." Naruto's smile didn't fade. "You've done a lot in the past year to secure the safety of not only this village but the world over and I thank you, Komuji and Sosei. However, it's time that I step in," the Hokage said. Komuji dipped his silver-haired head and Sosei followed him. He had a mixture of emotions flowing through him as he and Komuji were dismissed. He and his father exchanged a quick glance and Sosei saw some pride in his father's gaze, though he couldn't tell if it was directed at him.

Over the past year, Sosei had given his life to the ANBU Black Ops. It was often a grim and dark job that required him to abandon his own humanity more often than other shinobi. Most things that had happened, he could never share with anyone but his Sharingan recorded every moment. Nothing played in his head more than his mother's death in front of him so he found some solace in completing missions, no matter how gruesome they were. Even in the world of peace, people like Yashin's former captains sought death and destruction. And shinobi like Sosei had to put an end to it.

But thus far, he had to failed to do just that.

Two missions straight had ended in failure and some form of tragedy. The first failure resulted in Takuma collapsing into a coma that drove Sosei to delve into the histories of the Uchiha clan to get a solution. The second failure caused Noboru to be killed and Team Hae to be broken. Sosei didn't know how to deal with failure. He didn't have a habit of doing so. But he had to figure out some way to cope.

"You did good work, Sosei," Komuji said as he and Sosei walked down the hallway. The Uchiha youth glanced up at the silver-haired young man then shrugged.

"If I had done better, maybe Noboru would still be alive," he said softly. Komuji shook his head.

"Perhaps...but it's no use worrying about what you should've done. You can't let 'survivor's guilt' get to you. Noboru's death won't be in vain." Komuji placed a hand on Sosei's shoulder and the Uchiha's dark grey eyes caught the Hatake man's. "Just make sure you follow the Hokage's orders and get some rest. Physically, mentally, and emotionally. Sleep. Read. Go on a date. Just don't think about shinobi..." Sosei scoffed slightly.

"In a house full of shinobi, that'll be pretty difficult," he said. Komuji chuckled softly and put his hands in his pocket.

"You're innovative enough. I'm sure you'll find some way to spend your off time," he said as he walked away. "See ya around." Sosei pondered Komuji's words. Perhaps, he could attempt to find some kind of solace away from shinobi work. His family would suffice as a welcome diversion from his troubles. He couldn't wait to finally rest and be at peace, knowing that his father and the Hokage would handle the Three Deaths. He thought on playing with Kichiro and Takuma, reading to Hikari.

For the first time in a few years, Sosei felt himself smile.

* * *

 

When Kichiro woke, he was alone in his parents' room. As his senses slowly resurfaced, he heard the shuffling of plates and dishes sounding rom the kitchen. A faint, grayish-white light shined through the window.

 _Is it raining outside?_ Kichiro thought. He didn't remember seeing rain clouds when he and Takuma had sparred outside. Maybe more time had passed since he had passed out. Kichiro stared up at the ceiling and finally blinked when he heard the room door open. His mother walked into the room and stopped when saw him. A smile crossed her face.

"Kichiro, thank God," she said. Sakura's hand touched Kichiro's cheek and the boy smiled at his mother before blinking and frowning.

"Where's Daddy, Takuma and Sosei?" he asked.

"Your father headed out to train with Takuma and his team and Sosei is either out on his mission still or on his way back. I don't suppose we'll know until tonight," Sakura replied. Kichiro was about to ask another question before he heard a voice call from the kitchen.

"Mommy! Mommy!" Hikari's light voice grew louder as her footsteps suggested that she was growing closer. Kichiro's little sister stomped into the room and looked up at her mother with bright, green eyes before she turned. Kichiro smiled at her.

"Hey, Hikari," he said softly. Hikari leapt onto the bed and hugged Kichiro tightly. The young Uchiha boy gasped for breath and felt tears on his clothes.

"Oh, Kichi! You're awake now!" she cried. Kichiro looked down at her and then his mother. Sakura smiled.

"She's been worried about you since you've been out," she explained. Sakura then knelt down. "Hikari?" The little girl raised her head.

"Yes?"

"Do you want to give Kichiro the treat that you made him? He's up now so you can take it out of the refrigerator." Hikari jumped off of the bed and grinned from ear to ear.

"Oooh, yes," she replied before turning to face Kichiro. "Don't you move, Kichi! I'll be right back with your treat." Kichiro laughed softly. He didn't really have much of a choice in the matter. Kichiro's mother watched Hikari leave and then turned back towards him. Her lips touched his forehead and she stood up.

"I'll go make sure that Hikari doesn't destroy the kitchen," she said with a sigh. The pink-haired kunoichi left and Kichiro closed his eyes.

How long had it been since the incident had occurred? A few days now? How much longer would he have to hold in the information that he had? Things were starting to grow very difficult for Kichiro, especially since no one really knew the cause. No one except Kichiro. That time spent with Hensou sensei had really changed something in him. Kichiro didn't even realize what had happened. All he remembered was standing in a dark room with his teacher and Hensou warping his mind with a genjutsu that left him physically unable to move. After that...Kichiro's mind had almost purposely forgotten what had happened. That was until Takuma's genjutsu reactivated the memory. Aōbozu, the blue-eyed demon had come to kidnap him. Aōbozu was Hensou. The hands that reached out to grab him were Hensou's. The sick feeling that Kichiro felt afterwards had become clear as day. He knew what had happened to him. He knew what Hensou had did.

Something in Kichiro's mind told him that Hensou had touched his body below his waist. His penis. His testicles. And he had used a genjutsu to do so.

But who could he tell?

If Kichiro spoke to his parents, they'd both either seek an audience with the Hokage. If he told Takuma or Hikari, they'd tell his parents. He couldn't tell anyone outside of his house because they would never believe him or understand how he felt. He needed to tell someone who could keep a secret and someone who wouldn't be a blind fool. Kichiro felt himself be hit by a spur of genius. He knew who he would tell. He might have to wait a while until he got back from his mission, but there wasn't anybody else in the family that Kichiro felt cared about him more.

He'd tell Sosei.

* * *

 

**_Next Chapter, "Brother's Keeper"..._ **


	8. Brother's Keeper

**A/N: Thanks for following my story for this far. Please enjoy this next chapter. it was really intense for me to** write **but I'm glad it's done. Please leave your reviews and tell me what you think. Thanks for all those that have followed and favorited as well!**

* * *

 Sasuke could see Naruto's flapping white cloak in front of him, standing in contrast to the green and brown of the trees. He and the Hokage had left nearly immediately after the Uchiha had entered into his friend's office.

Before departing, Naruto had left a clone behind to tend to his Hokage duties, which included attending the funeral of Noboru Hyūga, Sosei's deceased teammate. Knowing he'd be heading into battle, Naruto hadn't left too much chakra in his clone. At least, that's what Sasuke had hoped.

"So…" Naruto said, breaking the silence. "How did your team do on their pre-Chunin Exam test?"

Sasuke reflected for a moment on his team. He had been impressed with their overall teamwork. Their attack patterns appeared to have a great deal of structure, most assuredly thanks to Shōgo. That boy seemed to be able to create six step strategies on the fly and change them faster than when they failed. Takuma had also managed to do quite well. He appeared to be still adjusting somewhat to his new sight. Honami's transformation had also managed to take Sasuke by surprise and for a brief moment he had actually thought that he had connected with his Chidori against her. The level of sophistication behind their combination of technique, deception and execution was astounding. Sasuke felt himself get filled with an added pride. He had done well as a teacher…or maybe this next generation was just supremely talented.

"They did well. They've greatly improved their teamwork in the last couple of years. I think they're ready," the Uchiha replied. Naruto turned his head and smiled.

"I'm glad. I knew they would be. My clone will draft the paperwork as soon as Noboru's ceremony is over," the Hokage said. He turned his head. Sasuke heard him sigh. "Has Kichiro's condition improved?" Sasuke's heart sunk in his chest.

"Not since I saw him yesterday," the Uchiha said.

He was beyond worried about his youngest son. He had sat for hours with Sakura as she attempted to mend the fragments of the boy's mind. Sasuke used his Sharingan to cycle through and order things, reading his son's memories and even reliving some of his classroom interactions. He noticed a few things that greatly concerned him.

"I believe his instructor had something to do with it," Sasuke said. Naruto turned with wide blue eyes.

"Hensou? Hensou Tomoteki?" he asked. Sasuke nodded.

"When I read Kichiro's mind with the Sharingan, I saw his instructor offer him some genjutsu guidance. After that, the memories are broken and blackened until he comes home. There's a period of time that's missing," the Uchiha said.

"You didn't go to interrogate Hensou yourself, did you?" Naruto asked. Sasuke scoffed. The last time he had gone to interrogate someone, the Uchiha had used his Sharingan to control the two guards in front of the prison cell and when he had got into contact with the man he sought, he had uttered a few inconsequential words before saying, "For Yashin" and exploding.

"No," Sasuke replied. "Sakura and I tried our best to repair Kichiro's mind, but he has to wake up and tell us what happened to him before I do anything." Naruto nodded.

"Anything he tells you, you report straight to me." His voice trailed off. "Somehow, it does somewhat make sense," he said. Sasuke frowned.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Hensou is probably one of the most gifted genjutsu users I've ever encountered and that's including Itachi and Kurenai-sensei. The main reason I made him an Academy instructor was because he managed to place me in a genjutsu so strong it took a lot more effort than I'm willing to admit to dispel the technique," Naruto said.

Sasuke nodded but took Naruto's words with a grain of salt. His friend had never been the best at breaking or even recognizing genjutsu especially if he was at rest. The Uchiha was sure his Sharingan could crush Hensou's technique and flip it back on him tenfold with little issue. Regardless, it was a matter he'd have to hurriedly attend to when he got back to Konoha. That meant quickly defeating these Three Deaths.

"No matter what Hesnou's trying to hide, we'll find out from Kichiro. The Three Deaths just have to be dealt with quickly." Sasuke's Sharingan activated. "I won't be holding back," he added. The Hokage smirked and performed a handseal. Sasuke saw the orange markings near the Hokage's eyes, indicating his activation of Sage Mode.

"Neither will I," he said. Sasuke nodded and the two friends bounced through the trees. The Uchiha couldn't make out anything in the green and brown blur of the forest. He trusted Naruto's Sage Mode, however. In his current state, the Hokage could find virtually anyone. The Uchiha saw Naruto's head perk up and point downwards.

"Do you see them?" Sasuke asked. The blonde Hokage nodded, his gold toad-like eyes flashing towards the Uchiha. The Rinnegan manifested in Sasuke's left eye and the Chidori sparked in his left hand. The sound of one thousand birds chirping filled the forest and Sasuke focused chakra to his feet to propel him forward. The Amenotejikara ability of his Rinnegan would zip him through the trees faster than any shinobi aside from perhaps Naruto could react too but it consumed massive amounts of his chakra. He'd need it.

"They're ahead at the center of the forest. They tried to disguise their chakra signatures but I sensed them anyway." The Hokage turned his head to the Uchiha. "Go ahead. I'll follow you for once," Naruto said with a smirk. Sasuke dipped his head and focused his lavender and red eyes on the particular position of his enemies.

In a flash, the Uchiha was gone. The Body Flicker combined with Amenotejikara flashed him through the trees, leaving Naruto a mere speck behind him. Sasuke was at the center of the forest and his eyes briefly made out the images of the three shinobi he and the Hokage pursued. The Chidori stabilized in hand and lengthened into a blade. The lightning crackled as the Uchiha swung his Chidori Spear in a arc that leveled that forest and sent sparks running along the ground. A yellow flash appeared to Sasuke's left and right.

The Narutos stood with Sasuke, one in Sage Mode like the original had been and the other cloaked in the fiery orange chakra of the Nine-Tails. The Chidori left Sasuke's hand and the Uchiha stood tall. His dojutsu searched the cleared forest briefly. He saw them as they approached.

Sasuke's eyes narrowed as the first shinobi approached. He wore a black cloak trimmed with pale blue coloring. His companions wore black with trimming matching their eye colors just like the lead shinobi. Sasuke's eyes narrowed as the Three Deaths surrounded him. The two Narutos stood on guard.

The lead shinobi smirked and dipped his head. "It is a pleasure to finally see the great Sasuke Uchiha and the Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki. I thought it'd be a while longer before we drew your attention," he said. The Uchiha's eyes went from shinobi to shinobi, before focusing again on the leader.

"You call yourself 'Yashagorō', am I right?" he asked. The black-haired man smiled. Something about it made Sasuke feel an odd unease.

"Indeed, I do," the man replied. Sasuke frowned.

"Then you're the one that laid a hand on my sons," Sasuke said, balling his fists. Yashagorō did something that surprised and angered the Uchiha to his core. He laughed. His guffaw was tremendously loud, echoing through the forest before slowly diminuendoinginto a soft chuckle.

"Yes…I did," Yashagorō replied. The elation in the man's voice when he confessed his crime caused a fire to ignite inside of the Uchiha. That was all Sasuke needed. The purple shape of Susano'o's armored stage formed above and around Sasuke. The two Naruto clones backed further away as a sword of black flame formed in Susano'o's hand. Sasuke's Eternal Mangekyou and Rinnegan blazed.

"For that, you will die," the Uchiha said. As his black flamed sword crashed down, chaos ensued. Naruto's clones engaged Yashagorō's partners and Sasuke set his eyes on his target. He had managed to score a hit on the blue-eyed man, but it had done nothing to hurt him. Sasuke saw the ice sculpture of Yashagorō burn from the Amaterasu fire.

 _Ice clones_. Sasuke thought. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw the blue-eyed man approaching with a long broadsword in his hand. Sasuke reached out with Susano'o's arms and crushed him. It was another ice clone and this time, Sasuke felt the chill. Susano'o's hand froze as a fist and crackled. Yashagorō appeared again above Sasuke. The Uchiha didn't know if this was an ice clone as well or not but he wouldn't take any chances. Yashagorō's ice was tremendously more powerful and refined than Haku's had ever been. It could freeze raw, non-elemental chakra if it was a focused blast. Sasuke had no choice but to let down his ultimate defense now.

He drew his sword quickly and deflected Yashagorō's charge with a hard swipe. The two men danced in the middle of the fallen trees. The blue-eyed man impressed Sasuke and kept him on his guard. He was quick and agile, able to almost slither around Sasuke's guard and attack with the quickness of a viper. The Sharingan saved Sasuke's jugular multiple times. The Uchiha heard the crashing of the Hokage's fight with Yashagorō's partners and leapt backwards.

Sasuke and the two Narutos backed into each other and Sasuke turned his head fractionally. After a quick scan, he saw that the Sage Mode Naruto was the original. Naruto sighed softly.

"Thought you said you weren't going to hold back?" Naruto quipped. Sasuke frowned.

"You said the same," he replied. "Change of strategy." Naruto turned and smirked.

"Thunder and Lightning Combo?" the Hokage asked. Sasuke nodded. He didn't necessarily like the name that Naruto had created for the technique but at least it was better than what the Fourth would've named it. And it was incredibly apt.

"Let's go," Sasuke replied. The Chidori sparked anew in Sasuke's hand he burst toward Yashagorō with a distinct purpose. He just needed to position him right. Sasuke jabbed forward with his left hand and swung his sword with his right. Yashagorō juked from left to right avoiding Sasuke's strikes. When he shifted to Sasuke's right, the Uchiha turned his back. He could sense Yashagorō moving in for the kill.

Chidori Nagashi emitted from Sasuke's body, locking Yashagorō in place. Stunned, the man's blue eyes widened as a yellow light flashed and the Hokage appeared. The Rasengan hit Yashagorō in the chest and sent him flying across the ground. Naruto disappeared and reappeared next to Yashagorō's partners. Sasuke followed Yashagorō with a Chidori Spear in hand, swiping across the ground and driving up dirt to shield his movements.

Sasuke felt the power in his Rinnegan return and smirked. Yashagorō was in his sights, struggling to stand after Naruto's Sage Mode Rasengan. The long-haired man readied himself for Sasuke's attack. Sasuke felt Naruto's chakra grow closer to him. Amenotejikara placed Yashagorō where the Uchiha had once stood. Chidori sparked and a yellow flash appeared in front of Yashagorō.

"Chidori!"

"Rasengan!"

Yashagorō coughed up blood as he stood in between the Hokage and Sasuke. He then grinned. "Very impressive…it seems you have indeed earned all the fuss the world makes over you two. But you still won't win…" he said. Yashagorō's body burst into shards of ice that flew in Sasuke's arms and side. Naruto groaned and pulled a shard from his chest. Sasuke looked over his friend briefly and then to Yashagorō, who had moved closer to his partners. They took a defensive position in front of him as the blue-eyed man created more ice clones and began to weave handseals. The Uchiha didn't know what they were for, but he had flashbacks to Haku and his Demonic Ice Mirrors Technique. Sasuke couldn't allow it to happen.

The Uchiha rose to his feet and made his way to Yashagorō with Naruto creating a few more shadow clones. Sasuke leapt into the air and had a fireball about to burst from his mouth only for a massive earth style technique to pound him into the ground. Sasuke looked up and saw the green-eyed stout man that Sosei's report had indicated was named Gekido, walking slowly towards him.

Sasuke struggled to break free from Gekido's rocky grasp. The earth around the Uchiha tightened and Sasuke could feel his bones to bend. He unleashed a quick burst of lightning, shattering the earth around him. He was on his feet in an instant. Gekido raised his arms and combined his hands together to perform an axe handle punch. Sasuke's sword slid underneath Gekido's sternum and through his back. The Uchiha expected the stocky man to go limp and his eyes to glaze over. When Sasuke looked up, Gekido's face was as stoic as it had been before.

His fists crashed into Sasuke's back and the Uchiha fell to the ground. The next impact he felt was a powerful kick to his face that sent him skidding across the ground. Sasuke looked up and saw that his sword was still lodged in Gekido's chest, that was until the muscular man pulled the blade out of his body and dropped it on the ground. His hands began to glow with an eerie red chakra. Whatever it was, Sasuke was positive that he didn't want to come into contact with it. Gekido drew closer and prepared to strike.

In a bright yellow flash, Naruto appeared and punched Gekido from one side. There was another yellow flash and Naruto attacked from the other side. There was another yellow flash and Gekido's body flew in the air and Naruto appeared underneath him, rising with a knee followed by a punch to Gekido's back. The stout man's body hung in the air briefly and the Chidori was in Sasuke's hand and through Gekido's chest before he touched the ground. Finally, the man went limp.

Naruto's eyes looked Sasuke up and down. The Uchiha heard the sounds of the Hokage's clones locked in battle with Yashagorō and his female companion, Anadori. "You're not hurt, are you?" the Uzumaki asked. Sasuke shook his head.

"I'm fine. We need to stop him from finishing those handseals," Sasuke said. Naruto frowned.

"I'm trying. But one of his ice clones gets defeated and explodes in shards of ice that take out most of my clones." Naruto balled his fist. "It doesn't matter. If all he's doing is Haku's Ice Mirror jutsu, we'll be able to break out of it easily." Sasuke blinked at the Hokage.

"Naruto, don't be careless. We don't even know if…" The chill hit Sasuke in an instant and caused him to fall to his knees. Naruto reached out to him but he too began to shiver and drop. Yashagorō's clones began to encircle them while the main body grabbed Anadori and left. Sasuke looked up and saw ice everywhere, larger and more sophisticated than Haku's jutsu. Then suddenly, the ice mirrors began to combine. Sasuke watched as the end results of the jutsu grew more clear. This was an Ice Dome Prison. Sasuke could feel the heat and chakra leaving his body at a rapid pace. Out of desperation, his Mangekyou let loose the black flames of Amaterasu and he twisted and shaped it to form around his body and Naruto's. The burning black fire gave life to the Uchiha and he saw his friend slowly stop shivering and rise to his feet.

Yashagorō's clones were incinerated and Sasuke stretched the flames to prevent their explosive ice shards from getting to he and Naruto.

"Quite innovative, Sasuke. You catch on quick," Yashagorō said, his voice echoing throughout his prison. "But, this is my domain. Whether you use your black flames or not, your ability to keep control of them will weaken as your chakra is depleted. No matter what, you will die." The Ice Dome crackled and Yashagorō's real body entered wielding his long broadsword. "And I will see to it," he said.

Sasuke looked to the Hokage and the blonde man sighed. "I'll fight him," he said. Sasuke shook his head.

"No, it's me he wants. You have to get out of here," Sasuke replied. Naruto scoffed.

"Don't be so stubborn, Sasuke. This is an ice release. The natures are what, water and wind? You're the only one of us that can do some kind of damage and break free," the Hokage said. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak again but Naruto shot him a glare coupled with a grin. "As your Hokage, I order you to break out of here." The Uchiha frowned.

"Are you sure you'll be alright? You heard him and you've felt the effects of this dome. Once you step out from behind Amaterasu, your chakra is going to deplete," Sasuke said. Naruto nodded and placed his hand over his stomach.

"I am the Sixth Hokage, Naruto Uzumaki," he said as he transformed in his Bijuu Mode combined with his Sage Mode. "I think I can last the few moments it'll take for you to set us free." Sasuke nodded. His Rinnegan and Eternal Mangekyou shone in his eyes.

"Then let's go," he said as the black flames faded away. Yashagorō rushed them and Sasuke caught the sight of his clones bursting from the walls of the ice dome. A few went after Sasuke but most of them swarmed Naruto. There was a massive explosion of orange chakra and Sasuke looked ahead. Yashagorō's attacked from above and the side.

The Uchiha quickly manifested Susano'o's armored form. The chakra froze but only after the Uchiha had sliced through the clones. His feet pushed him toward the edges of the Ice Dome Prison. He felt cold and weak already so he needed to hurry. Sasuke activated Chidori once more, honing in on the lightning chakra with his Rinnegan. The lightning sparked purple and black, enhanced by Sage chakra. The Uchiha just needed to add one more element to the mix. Amaterasu burst from Sasuke's eye and then was reformed with Kagutsuchi to perfectly match with his Chidori. It took him only a few moments to stabilize the chakra. A few moments more than he had intended.

One of Yashagorō's clones stabbed Sasuke in his back and the Uchiha coughed up blood. He set the clone ablaze with Amaterasu and immediately summoned Susano'o's ribcage to protect himself from the exploding ice. He had to get out quickly.

The Uchiha focused his eyes on a spot and with as much energy as he could muster, barreled towards it. The heat of Amaterasu and Chidori in his hand caused sweat to drip from Sasuke's brow. He looked up in time enough to see a stream of ice clones attempting to intercept him. The next thing he saw was a giant orange chakra fist smashing them against the wall of the dome. The arm then fell behind Sasuke, preventing any clones that were pursuing him from continuing.

The Sage Black Flame Chidori plunged into the icy walls. The fire combined with the wind nature and burned hotter. The lightning circulated through the water nature, cracking the wall. A hole opened and Sasuke dove through. The Uchiha turned and saw the Hokage still inside, battling for his life.

"Naruto!" Sasuke shouted. The blonde man's head turned and Sasuke saw him begin to run. The ice dome was closing quickly. Yashagorō's ice clones closed in around Naruto and Sasuke thought that he had been swallowed up. Outside of the dome, the Uchiha didn't feel the chill. Susano'o formed around him and he prepared a massive flaming arrow to fire.

There was a yellow flash.

Naruto was beside Sasuke and glanced at him before unleashing his Tailed Beast form. Susano'o wrapped around and armored the orange chakra of the fox form.

"Let's destroy that thing!" Naruto shouted. Sasuke nodded. The Susano'o armored fox opened its mouth and a Tailed Beast Ball formed. Blood dripped from Sasuke's eyes as he created and molded Amaterasu around it. Together, the two shinobi caused their monstrous protection to leap into the air. The Amaterasu Tailed Beast Ball fired at the Demonic Ice Dome Prison, hitting in the center and exploding as it came into contact with the ground.

Sasuke fell. Naruto barely caught him and the two landed on the ground. Sasuke's eyes bled and pounded. His arms felt weak and his legs shook like he was a fawn first learning how to walk. Naruto looked a little stronger, but barely. He still had the eyes of the Sage and gazed around.

"No way…" the Hokage said.

Sasuke wiped his eyes clean of blood and looked as well. His vision was blurry at best, but he could feel a faint chakra signature that wasn't his or Naruto's.

"He's still alive?" Sasuke panted. Naruto was frozen and stared forward. He then helped Sasuke up and the pair walked forward. As they drew closer, Sasuke could make out why Naruto's words had escaped him. He felt a chill go up his spine. What he saw was charred and burnt. It wasn't even human. It was the body of a snake. The skin of the serpent began to crack. Naruto and Sasuke paused in place. A body rose up, holding another in his arms. His clothes were tattered and burnt to a crisp, barely hanging onto his body. It was Yashagorō.

Slowly, the wounded man turned. Sasuke heard the crisp clap of thunder above him. A slight drizzle poured down, cold and refreshing to Sasuke's hurt body but adding an extra chill to his bones. Yashagorō stopped, his cold icy blue eyes fixating on Sasuke and Naruto. He was angry. The body he held in his arm looked to be the barely breathing Anadori. He had somehow managed to summon a snake in order to protect himself and the woman. Sasuke's eyes widened. Yashagorō's icy blue eyes shifted to a striking yellow. A black slit formed as a pupil.

The eyes of Orochimaru.

* * *

 Sosei had never been a huge fan of the rain, especially not chilling rain. The Uchiha boy had sought refuge amongst the tress surrounding the Spot. It had taken him a while to get away from Noboru's funeral. Many people had decided to show their appreciation for his life. The man had many friends, despite being quiet. Or perhaps, the visitors just sought to get into the good graces of Konoha's most powerful family.

Suzume had cried over his corpse before it was set to flame. She cried when his name was inscribed on the stone of those killed in action. She cried later when she told Komuji and Sosei that Noboru had just proposed to her the day before he had been killed. That was when Sosei had to leave. If he was to be moved to tears, he'd do it in his own private moments, not in front of others. He couldn't stand to be judged by anyone else.

Sosei rose to his feet and prepared to leave. He didn't know how long he had been sitting outside, but his body told him that he needed to go somewhere and rest. The Uchiha left the Spot and placed his hands in his pockets. The rain was slowly beginning to pick up and Sosei sighed. He'd have to run his clothes through the wash and dryer before he could wear them again.

The Uchiha boy entered onto the streets of Konoha and began to head home. A few of the older shinobi looked at him and gave slight nods of acknowledgment. The young Uchiha nodded back as he had saw his father do before. He walked further and saw a young woman underneath an umbrella. Her eyes cut to him and then away when she thought Sosei had looked in her direction. The Uchiha smirked and then suddenly felt sad again. He missed Aori Hasuya. He hadn't seen the blue-haired girl in days. Sosei didn't know what possessed him to be s attracted to her. The two had barely spoken. But there was something about her that…

"Excuse me", a man intercepted him. Sosei looked up and frowned slightly. The man in front of him was blonde with green eyes. He had a soft look about him. "I didn't mean to disturb you," he said with a friendly smile. "You are Sosei Uchiha, correct?" Sosei nodded.

"Yeah. And you are?" he asked. The blonde man dipped his head.

"My name is Hensou Tomoteki. I teach Kichiro's class at the Academy," he replied.

"Ah, ok," Sosei replied. The man nodded.

"I was just wondering if anything had happened to him. I haven't seen him in class in a few days." The man's shifted slightly. Sosei picked up on it easily. He had been taught to do so as an ANBU. Something was off.

"He's just been really ill," Sosei lied. "Fever's been pretty high." He paused. "Any lessons you've gone over that I need to pass on to him?" Sosei asked. Hensou smiled.

"Just genjutsu dispelling. Kichiro could use some help with that," Hensou said. He then dipped his head and strode away. Sosei watched the man walk off and narrowed his eyes. He wondered if Kichiro was awake now. He had some questions for him.

Sosei hurried along the roads of Konoha to his house. The brick roads turned into a nicely constructed dirt path and Sosei saw the Uchiha Estate rising in the distance. Sosei's foot hit the first step of his porch and he made his way into the house. His head whipped around and he searched for any trace that his little brother was awake. Sakura was in the kitchen, seemingly either preparing a meal or new travel sized potions. Sosei knocked on the wall to make his presence known.

Sakura turned her head and then smiled when she saw Sosei. "Hey," she said. "For a second, I thought you were your father." The pink-haired kunoichi pushed her hair behind her ear and turned back to her work. "You alright?" she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Is Kichiro…" Sosei started.

"Sosei!" a voice called. Sosei turned and saw his little brother running down the hallway towards him. Sosei felt a feeling of relief when Kichiro grabbed him and hugged him. His brother was back to his excited ways. Kichiro's eyes looked as bright as they had before. Sosei was slightly pained that he'd have to ask his brother about his teacher.

"Kichiro, I want to ask you something," Sosei whispered. The boy blinked then nodded.

"And I want to tell you something," he replied. The two brothers walked to Sosei's room at the far end of the hallway and entered. After Sosei closed the door, he proceeded to speak first.

"Your sensei, Hensou asked about you," Sosei said. Kichiro's face blanched. He looked completely terrified. Sosei frowned. "What's wrong, Kichiro?" he asked. The boy gulped and looked away. Sosei dropped to one knee and looked his brother in his eyes. "Tell me what's wrong."

"I-I know what happened to me," Kichiro said. Sosei raised an eyebrow.

"What do you mean?" Tears began to fall from Kichiro's eyes.

"Why I kept getting knocked out and having nightmares. I was having trouble dispelling genjutsu in class, so Hensou-sensei took me somewhere after class to give me instructions. He placed a genjutsu on me and it kept me from moving. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't break out of it," Kichiro said. Sosei shook his head.

"But that's crazy. Dad puts you in genjutsu with his Sharingan all the time and you always break out quickly. What about this was different?" Sosei asked. Kichiro started to cry more and Sosei began to wonder if this was an issue of Uchiha pride and bravado. Kichiro had never been one to stand losing. Perhaps he just felt bad that…

"Daddy never touched me while he had me in a genjutsu," Kichiro said. Sosei's ears perked.

"Touched you?" he asked. "Wait. Did Hensou touch you?" Sosei asked. Kichiro cried some more, nodding the whole time. Sosei shook his head. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Maybe he misunderstood. "Where?" the Uchiha asked.

Kichiro pointed at his groin and then at his butt. "There…" he said. He was sniffling now. Sosei grabbed Kichiro and pulled him into a hug. He felt his shirt grow damp from tears. He didn't care. All he did was stare forward, burning holes in the wall with his Sharingan. He held Kichiro a little bit away from him.

"Have you told anyone else? Your mother? Dad?" he asked. Kichiro shook his head.

"No…just you," Kichiro replied. The little Uchiha looked at Sosei's Sharingan and blinked. "What're you going to do? You won't tell, right?" the boy asked. Sosei shook his head.

"I won't tell anyone," he said. He then rose to his feet. It was taking all of his power now to suppress the malign inferno of emotions he was feeling. He couldn't explode in front of his brother. "Go help your mother," Sosei said. "I'll be back." Kichiro nodded and wiped his face.

"What're you going to do?" Kichiro asked again. Sosei didn't answer. Instead, he gently pushed his brother out of his room and closed the door. He stripped off his civilian clothes and put on a black variant of his ANBU flak jacket and pants. He pulled his black cloak from his closet and the black porcelain mask he used for extreme stealth missions. Sosei slid his ninjato blade through the sheathe and fastened his cloak. Lastly, he pulled his hood over his head and took in a deep sigh.

The Uchiha snuck through the window in his room, closing behind him and immediately used the Body Flicker to head into the village. He didn't know exactly where he'd find Hensou but the Hokage kept records on every shinobi in the village in a secret data center that Sosei had gone to before when he looked up Aori's boyfriend. That was his first stop.

Sosei entered and sifted through them until he had located Hensou Tomoteki. He recorded the man's face and address with his Sharingan and placed the files back where they were. In a black flash, Sosei was gone and on Konoha's rooftops. The rain was pouring down heavier now, pounding the roof and masking the sound of Sosei's footsteps. The Uchiha's feet carried him to the dividing line between West Konoha and the Academy. Hensou's house was a small row home and Sosei examined it quickly for a swift point of entry. There was a small skylight, separating Hensou's house from the others.

Sosei leapt from one rooftop to the next and then gazed inside of the home through window. He saw a shadow pass by, lengthening and then shortening to reveal Hensou. He was in casual wear, sipping out of a cup and reading a book. Sosei focused. He had to land just right.

The Uchiha leapt into the air and focused chakra into hands to enhance his strength. The next thing he felt was the glass crashing underneath him as he pounded his fist into it. The ground came quickly and Sosei flapped out his black cloak to land softly in Hensou's home. The blonde man jumped to his feet and stared as Sosei slowly rose.

"Who…what the hell is this?" Hensou shouted.

For a brief moment, all Sosei could do was stare. Lightning flashed above, the light causing his full figure to be revealed. Rain poured onto his head, but the hood on his cloak protected him. Rage forbade him to move. Except it wasn't anger.

Sosei realized quickly that he was locked in a genjutsu, the same that Hensou had probably used on his brother. He saw a point of penetration with his Sharingan. With willpower and chakra fueled anger, he dove through and stretched a hole. The genjutsu shattered and Hensou backed away. He started to try for more handseals but Sosei had had enough.

He crossed the floor quickly, driving his shoulder into Hensou's chest. The blonde man withstood the blow and kneed Sosei in his stomach. His flak jacket cushioned most of the blow and Sosei continued to press his attack. Sosei through a quick punch and Hensou raised his arm and kicked Sosei backward. This time, Hensou was on the offensive, leaping into the air and spiraling as he crashed down with a heel kick. Sosei saw it coming and grabbed Hensou's ankle, swinging him around the room and throwing him in front of his door.

Hensou recovered quickly and Sosei was off guard by a powerful kick to his face. His mask flew onto the ground, the sudden impact leaving a scar over Sosei's right eye. The Uchiha turned to face Hensou and the blonde man's eyes widened.

"Sosei…" Hensou said. "But, how? I…" Sosei rushed forward and kicked Hensou in his thigh and followed with a knee to his ribs.

"You thought you erased your presence in my little brother's mind? You thought he wouldn't be able to remember what you did to him? You thought you'd be able to get away with molesting and raping my ten year old brother?!" Sosei roared. He threw another kick but this time Hensou was ready. The blonde man grabbed Sosei's leg and flung him through his door. The Uchiha landed on the wet brick road. Thunder crashed and lightning sparked the sky as Hensou made his way to meet Sosei.

"You don't understand," Hensou said. He pulled a kunai from his waist. "You can go ahead and blame me all you want. You put Kichiro in the position that he was in." Sosei grit his teeth and snarled. Hensou wasn't prepared for the Uchiha's raw ferocity. Sosei leapt onto him like a predator and drove an elbow into his throat and proceeded to rain punches onto Hensou's face.

"Don't you fucking say my brother's name again, you filth!" he shouted. Hensou blocked a stray punch and headbutted Sosei. His forehead hit Sosei's nose and the Uchiha went down. Hensou was standing over him.

"You won't even question how your own actions led Kichiro to the place where he sought something more. He wasn't getting proper attention at home. No one cared about him, but I made him feel special and wanted. He trusted me enough to come to me for assistance. The real monster is you and your family, Sosei. Kichiro lacked and I fulfilled it," Hensou said. Sosei kicked both of Hensou's knees from under him and jumped to his feet.

"You're sick," he spat at Hensou. "And I'll be doing the world a favor." The Chidori crackled in Sosei's hand. Hensou simply looked up at him and shook his head.

"If you think about what I've said, you'll know that you are to blame, boy. You and everyone else that ignored Kichiro when he may be the one with the most potential in his generation," Hensou said. Sosei's anger was smoldering.

"Shut up…and die!" he raised his hand to drive Chidori into Hensou's chest, but he couldn't. He was frozen. At first, he thought it was another genjutsu. Then, he realized that he was standing underneath and streetlight and casting a shadow.

"Sosei, I order you to stand down," a calm voice said. It was Shikamaru. Sosei spat again. How had they known what was going on? Had someone reported to them that quickly? Then again, Sosei wasn't too far from the Hokage's office where Shikamaru worked. He probably heard the commotion. Nevertheless, Sosei had no intention of listening to the him.

"I'm an ANBU Operative. I don't answer to orders from anyone except the Hokage," Sosei retorted. A white cloak flapped in front of Sosei and the Uchiha paused. The Hokage or rather his clone stood in front of him. The blonde Uzumaki looked at Sosei and then at Hensou. He sighed.

"I didn't want it to come to this," he said. "Sosei, I need you to be calm and listen to me. Your father and I suspected that Hensou had something to do with Kichiro's coma. We just needed evidence before we pursued him. However, this was not what I had in mind. There will be justice for your brother but it is to be determined by me, not you. No shinobi runs Konoha aside from me. Vigilante justice will get you nothing," Naruto said. Sosei breathed heavily and closed his eyes.

He was being denied.

"Stand down," Shikamaru repeated, as he let his grip of Sosei's shadow go. The Uchiha felt like he had no choice but to relent. He was under the Hokage's order. If he disobeyed, he didn't even know what would happen to him. Naruto placed a hand on Sosei's shoulder and the two began to walk away.

"Sosei!" Hensou mumbled through his blood-filled mouth. The Uchiha turned. Naruto tried to keep pulling but Sosei refused. He looked at Hensou and the blonde man smirked. "Did you tell Kichiro to work on dispelling genjutsu?" he asked. Sosei's body lurched forward and he attempted to grab Hensou by his throat and crush it. The Hokage held him back by his cloak and Shikamaru came to his other side and pulled him away.

Sosei couldn't do anything. If he fought either of his superiors, he'd lose. But all he could see was Hensou's smiling face. He imagined the horrors that his brother must've felt at the hands of this monster before him. He couldn't let him live. He was his brother's keeper. The Mangekyou came to Sosei's eyes. His right eye honed in on Hensou's laughing face. Blood trickled from Sosei's eye as he heard a single word enter into his mind. One he had only heard his father say.

_**Amaterasu.**_


	9. Never Hurt Again

Sosei saw only the four stone walls of his prison cell, surrounded by a purple chakra barrier. Two ANBU stood on the other side of the metal door and every four hours, a new pair of ANBU stood outside. None of them ever spoke. Sosei prayed that when he woke up, Komuji would be standing guard over his cell and he could speak to someone. However, that never came to pass. The Uchiha would simply have to wait.

The young man didn't know exactly what his punishment would be. Sosei had only been in jail for little more than eight hours. As an ANBU, or rather, perhaps now a former ANBU, Sosei's sole superior was the Hokage. Even if his team captain gave an order, it never superseded the word of the Hokage. The only one that he was bound to listen to and he had disobeyed him.

Sosei had always had issues with authority and his anger problems had made it hard for him. He had lashed out before because he felt abandoned and neglected by his father and looked down on by his half-brother and stepmother. He had felt jealous of Takuma and Kichiro because of their relationship with his father, a relationship he'd never have...but now that they had grown to love him, he had felt the shackles of anger fall from him. He had grown attached.

That attachment had caused him to kill a shinobi of Konoha.

A shinobi that had used his power to molest his youngest brother.

Sosei leaned his head back against the wall of his cell and sighed as he closed his eyes.

He wondered when his father would return and if he actually wanted that to happen.

* * *

 

The sun peaked through the clouds and the birds sang their song. Takuma had heard the chatter all morning about what had happened the previous night near the Academy building. How his older brother had lit Kichiro's instructor on fire. With black fire. Like Takuma's father had done. Takuma had heard some of the older shinobi saying that the fire consumed Hensou's face, burning through flesh, muscles and bone until there was nothing of his head left. Takuma couldn't imagine what had possessed Sosei to do what he did. Things seemed to be getting better with him and up until this point, Takuma had begun to look up to his older brother.

But now, he was a murderer.

And so were all shinobi.

Some older shinobi passed by Takuma's table and their eyes shot down at him as if to see whether or not he was harboring the same emotions as Sosei. A hand touched Takuma's arm.

"Are you ok?" Honami asked. Takuma nodded.

"Just wondering why everyone's looking at me. I didn't do anything," the boy replied.

"Nobody would be making that face if Sasuke-sensei was around," Shōgo mumbled, as he scooped ramen into his mouth. Takuma absently nodded. He remembered the early days of his childhood when someone glanced his way with disgust while he walked with his father. It only took a glare from Sasuke to send the man running in the opposite direction.

"Has your mom said anything about it?" Honami asked. Takuma shook his head.

"No, but she did mention that she had to meet with the Hokage and his advisor about the incident." Takuma sighed. "I guess I should go home then," he said.

"Wait, why?" Shogo said, looking up from his bowl.

"Mom can't take Hikari with her to view a dead body. I'll have to watch her and Kichiro," Takuma explained.

"Maybe I'll bring Setsuka over so you can watch her too," Honami said. Takuma's face was like flint.

"I don't see how that helps me." Honami laughed.

"I mean, I'll be there too. Let the kids have fun and we can supervise…or spar," she said with a smirk. Takuma liked the sound of that. Of course, he'd have to ask his mother. It suddenly struck him that this would be the first time that Honami would be at his home.

"Sure," Takuma said. "I mean, I'll check with my mother." Honami nodded.

"Well, duh. I'm not going to just show up to your home uninvited," she said. Shōgo sipped his ramen's broth.

"Right, that'd be creepy," he said into the bowl. Honami glared at Shōgo and the orange-haired boy shrugged. "What? It would be." Takuma shook his head and smiled.

"Well, if my mother says it's okay for you to come over, I'll try to let you know. Maybe the Hokage can drop you off," Takuma said. Honami waved.

"Ok. See you later, Takuma," she said. Takuma looked to Shōgo and the two friends gave each other a thumbs up, followed by extending their index fingers.

"Later," Shōgo said.

Takuma stepped from the table and began his walk home. The streets around the Academy were clear of civilians and the Uchiha boy suspected that the school was closed because of the death of Hensou. He wondered if Kichiro knew what happened. He and his instructor had been rather close. Or at least, that's what Takuma thought. He'd ask when he got home.

As thoughts of Sosei's crime plagued his mind, Takuma also thought about his father. He hadn't yet returned from his mission even after being gone for a day. This hadn't happened before since Takuma had been alive. If his father did, Takuma certainly hadn't noticed. What exactly was his father doing? He had just disappeared after the training session with the team earlier, so it must have been urgent. Maybe his father would tell him about it once he came home.

Before Takuma stepped on his family's property, he could see his mother with her distinctive pink hair standing on the porch, waiting for him. She was alone and Takuma suspected that Hikari was probably with Kichiro. He decided to hasten his pace, because something told him that his mother had been waiting quite a while for an Uchiha to return home. And not necessarily him.

"Takuma," his mother said in a soft yet still stern voice. The young Uchiha dipped his head.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm very sorry for being late," he said apologetically. His mother sighed softly and rubbed the top of his head. She shook her own and her pink hair flowed from side to side.

"No, no...I was just worried about you, is all. I just know how people are when an Uchiha is held accountable for a crime." she kissed Takuma's forehead. "Hopefully, your father will be back soon," she said. Takuma nodded. There was a mix of worry and tiredness on his mother's face. She missed his father. Takuma knew that much.

"So, how long will you be gone, Mother?" Takuma asked. Sakura lightly shrugged her shoulders.

"I don't have a clue, honestly. But don't worry. You won't have too much of a problem watching your brother and sister tonight. They've been rather quiet and sedate all day. Kichiro's only really moved when I offered him food. Hikari's just been by his side since you left," Sakura replied. Takuma blinked as he remembered Honami's proposition.

"This might be a bit much to ask...but I was wondering if maybe Honami and her sister could come over for a little bit later." Takuma saw his mother think on it and when it looked like the thought had processed a bit, he added, "Honami's sister and Kichiro are pretty close. Maybe, she'll be able to see what's wrong with him." Sakura looked toward the house and back towards Takuma. Her eyes narrowed slightly and then she sighed.

"Will you behave and make sure that this house remains intact?" Sakura asked.

"Yes, ma'am," Takuma replied. "We'll probably just stay outside."

"Stay out front. When I come back, I want to see you children behaving," Sakura said. Her voice was stern and Takuma knew better than to anger or disobey her in any way. He had done so when he was a very young child and had since been terrified of her. Not even a Sharingan death glare from his father could chill his heart more.

"Yes, ma'am." Sakura dipped her head.

"Alright then. I'll see you when I get back from my meeting with the Hokage. If it gets dark, I want you to put Hikari to bed and walk Setsuka and Honami back to their home. Am I understood?" Takuma nodded. It was a small price to pay for having Honami around him.

"Yes ma'am," Takuma replied. His mother gave him a quick gaze and then spoke again.

"If you get hungry, there's some snacks in the fridge that don't have to be heated up. I'll cook up a good meal when I get back home, okay?" Once again, Takuma nodded. Takuma's expression must've looked stoic and still as stone for his mother chuckled softly and said, "Alright, alright. I'm leaving. Please behave!"

With that, she disappeared in a puff of smoke. When his mother had gone, Takuma crossed his fingers, performing the Shadow Clone jutsu. With a nod, his clone knew what to do and he was gone. Takuma turned to his house and sighed softly. If Kichiro was being quiet, then he knew something was very wrong.

The Uchiha boy entered his house and headed straight to Kichiro's room. His face fell when he saw his brother curled in a corner, sobbing. Hikari sat next to him, looking down at her older brother with bright green eyes filled with sadness. When she turned to see Takuma, her face brightened up a bit.

"Taku!" she said. Takuma heard Kichiro sniffle and turn from the wall.

Takuma's little brother's face was red and drenched. He sniffled again and shivered.

"Takuma," Kichiro said. He ran forward into Takuma's arms and cried into his chest. Takuma frowned and felt his heart fall.

"Kichiro…what's wrong?" Takuma asked. He felt as if it was a loaded question as it was. Hikari stood next to them and Kichiro's crying was making her begin to weep.

"Sosei!" Kichiro blurted out. Takuma felt a coolness come over him. How had Kichiro discovered Sosei was imprisoned?

"What about him?" Takuma asked. Kichiro pulled away and he glanced over towards Hikari. The pink haired girl put her hands over her ears and closed her eyes. When she had, Kichiro turned back to Takuma.

"Hensou-sensei…he…touched me. In the bad places," Kichiro said. Takuma's eyes widened. Things were connecting in his mind.

"You told Sosei?" And he killed him. Takuma couldn't force himself to blink. "Why would you tell him? You could've told me," Takuma said. Kichiro shook his head.

"No, I couldn't," he said. "You were busy training with your team. Sosei was the only one that would listen to what I had to say. The only one who was there for me," Kichiro said.

Takuma felt as if his soul had been crushed. There was no one on Earth that he cared for more than his little brother. Ever since Kichiro had been born, Takuma felt the innate desire to protect him and be there for him. Before he became a shinobi, it had been easy to do so but since becoming a shinobi, life had been busy. He hadn't managed to spend as much time with his brother as he wanted to and in doing so, he had abandoned his little brother. He had become so consumed with trying to be a shinobi and catch up with Sosei that he failed at being a brother to Kichiro and Hikari.

Tears flowed from Takuma's eyes and he grabbed Kichiro and pulled Hikari into a hug. The three siblings hugged each other, crying and sobbing on the floor. Through his tears, Takuma made a silent declaration and promise to himself, his brother and his sister.

_I'll never let anyone hurt you again._

* * *

 

Sakura felt odd. She was leaving her son in charge of her two youngest children. She always felt uneasy leaving her children alone, especially with Kichiro's most recent stretch of weird silence. Hikari hadn't left his side all day and Sakura had mixed feelings seeing her two youngest so close. On one hand, it warmed her heart as a mother to see her two youngest children so close. At the same time, there was an air of solemn sadness that Sakura couldn't comprehend. Kichiro wouldn't speak when she had asked him if he was doing alright and like a parrot, Hikari repeated his silence.

The pink haired kunoichi sighed inwardly. Sasuke had told her about the brief glimpses he had gotten from Kichiro's tattered mind when they had worked to wake him from his coma. It had worried her greatly. Even after being awake for days, Kichiro wasn't the same bright boy that he had been. She wondered if Sasuke's suspicions had been correct...and why he'd leave before handling the problem first.

That man. Sakura thought. Her husband has a penchant for disappearing when he needed to think. When Sasuke was conflicted over her pregnancy with Takuma, he had disappeared for nearly a week without a trace, finally returning later with renewed resolve. But leaving now? It had proven disastrous. For whatever reason, Sosei had targeted Kichiro's old Academy teacher and murdered him in the presence of the Hokage and his adviser. She couldn't imagine what had come over him to do such a horrific deed.

That's why the Hokage had probably called on her to come speak to him. As far as Sakura knew, the Hokage's main body was off with her husband, attempting to capture the terrorists that nearly killed Sasuke's team as well as one of Sosei's. Speaking with Naruto's clone would be an oddity, but nothing she hadn't done before.

The streets surrounding the Academy building were emptied and taped off from the public and a few ANBU stood guard in front of the entrance. Sakura passed them and headed towards the outer ring of Konoha where the prisons were located. Along the way, ANBU Black Ops agents were scattered in the city. Sakura suspected that they were in place in preparation for the worst to happen. Sakura shook her head. Sosei wouldn't be foolish enough to attempt a breakout. He was already in enough deep water as it was.

On the outside, Sakura saw the familiar form of Shikamaru Nara, casually standing against a wall. A cigarette dangled from his lips and smoke slowly exited from his mouth. Sakura hadn't seen him smoking in years. Warily, she walked up to him, calculating the inflection she'd add to her voice. The Nara clan head looked tense.

"Shikamaru," she said. The man looked up lazily and sighed.

"Hey," he answered dryly. He moved up from off the wall and relaxed his body. The cigarette fell from his mouth and met his heel after it hit the ground. "Naruto's this way." Sakura followed him into the prison. Two guards Sakura hadn't even realized were present shut the door behind her as she and Shikamaru walked down a corridor towards the elevator. Sakura looked to Shikamaru as the sounds of the elevator's ascension grew louder.

"How bad is it?" she asked. Shikamaru didn't look at her, but closed his eyes.

"It's fucked," he said. The elevator doors opened and the two entered. Shikamaru continued. "Sosei's actions have sent a ripple effect throughout the entire village in a span of hours. Killing a beloved instructor in the open streets, loudly, caught the attention of both civilians and shinobi. The higher jonin are calling for his death for disobeying a direct order from the Hokage. Even the elders are beginning to sway." Sakura frowned.

"Which jonin?" she asked. Shikamaru shot her a side-way glance and then turned.

"Sakura, you and I both know that it really doesn't matter what the jonin are saying. ANBU Black Ops agents answer solely to the Hokage and only he can have them executed if he sees fit," he said. Sakura gawked.

"Well, what has Naruto said about it? Surely, he can't be considering killing Sosei," she said, primarily trying to convince herself. She had known Naruto since they were children and he barely ever tried to kill people that threatened his own life. He wasn't a power hungry man and he desired peace. There'd be no peace if he attempted to kill a child of Sasuke Uchiha. Sakura knew that with a certainty. There had to be other alternatives.

"No," Shikamaru said with a sigh. "He hasn't said anything about killing Sosei. I wouldn't even suspect that thought crossed his mind. He's mainly concerned with understanding the real problem behind Sosei's actions."

"What is there to understand?" Sakura asked as the elevator whined to a stop and the doors opened. Shikamaru turned to Sakura as they walked through the halls.

"Do you even know how he killed Hensou?" he asked. Sakura had heard some things, but no specifics.

"He burned him. Fire jutsu," she answered. Shikamaru shook his head.

"The jutsu he used wasn't some ordinary fire jutsu," he said. Sakura paused in her tracks.

"Amaterasu," she said. Shikamaru nodded. Sakura shook her head. "But...why would he use that to kill him? Why would he kill him at all?" Shikamaru stared at her for a while in silence and then knocked on the metal door that the two had stopped in front of.

"It's best that I let him tell you himself," the Nara man answered. Several locks clicked and the door whizzed open. Standing in the threshold was Naruto's clone.

"You're finally here," the clone said. He turned and led Shikamaru and Sakura down another hallway. At the end, Sakura could see a barred door with a purple chakra barrier being maintained by the two guards outside. Sakura's eyes went to Naruto's clone. Unsurprisingly, it was looking pale and tired. Naruto must not have left enough chakra in it to sustain it while he was gone. With that thought in mind...

"How far away are your main body and Sasuke?" she asked in a whisper. The clone turned lazily.

"Not too far now. But my chakra's pretty much spent and being weak in the main body isn't helping matters much, either," he said. Sakura raised an eyebrow.

"Why're you weak in your main body?" she asked. The clone waved its hand to dismiss her.

"Oh, nothing," the clone laughed. "Just a few difficulties. I'm sure Sasuke will tell you about it when he gets back in a few hours." He then motioned to the barred door. "I want you to go talk to Sosei. I'd much rather he tell you about what happened prior to his fight with Hensou." Sakura gave Shikamaru and the Hokage's clone a questioning glance and then walked forward. The two ANBU guards in front of the door seemed to look past Sakura to the Hokage's clone. Whatever it did, the ANBU obeyed and performed a handseal, removing the barrier from in front of the door. A gloved hand unlocked it and the metal door swung open.

Light crossed the darkness and Sakura saw Sosei sitting on his cot, staring at a wall. Briefly, she thought she saw the red glow of the Sharingan bouncing from the wall. The Uchiha turned his head fractionally and he blinked at the light that touched his eyes. He had a pensive expression on his face and it didn't leave.]

"Sosei," Sakura said as she began to walk towards. Recognizing her voice, Sosei turned to face her. Sakura was almost taken aback at how much the boy looked like his father. The same lean, cut physique. The intense eyes. The messily spiked, dark hair that hung over his eyes without his headband. Sosei blinked again.

"Sakura," he said. "My siblings aren't with you, I hope." Sakura shook her head as she grabbed a chair and sat in front of Sosei.

"No, they're home." Sakura gulped a little. "How are you?" Sosei shrugged.

"I'm fine. I've been getting fed regularly every time my guards shift. I slept a little," he said. "So good." He then leaned back against the wall. "You're not here to check up on my health. You want to know why I killed Hensou Tomoteki, just like everyone else." Sakura nodded. He wasn't necessarily wrong.

"I do," Sakura said. "Whatever your reason was. you shouldn't have disobeyed the Hokage's order. If you had done this two generations ago, you would be dead, Sosei. The High Jonin of the village are calling for your execution." Sosei scoffed.

"Let the old bastards try," he said with the arrogance his father would've displayed in his younger days. Sakura had never seen Sosei fully flex his power but from what Sasuke had told her, he was a special shinobi. Tactically gifted, creative and analytically superior to most veterans...but an arrogant, angry young man.

"Don't be a fool," Sakura said. "You have to realize the severity of your crime." Sosei nodded.

"Of course I do." He closed his eyes and folded his arms. "But nobody seems to recognize the severity of Hensou's. Everyone wants to talk about how I disobeyed a Hokage's orders but nobody wants to talk about what that piece of dogshit did to my little brother and probably more kids before that," he snarled. Sakura's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?" she asked. "What did he do to my boy?" Sosei stared her in the eyes. He didn't blink. His eyes were blood red with the Sharingan the entire length of the conversation.

"Hensou molested him. He warped his mind with genjutsu then touched his penis and his anus. Kichiro told me himself, crying and desperately afraid. So, I went to handle it. I planned on giving the bastard a clean death, a sword through his chest or a Chidori. The Hokage stepped in and I stood down when he first ordered me to. But Hensou taunted me, goaded me about Kichiro being weak against genjutsu," Sosei said. Sakura could hear the fiery rage in his voice, once again reminiscent of a young Sasuke. The woman shook from what she heard. She fished for a question.

"So you burned him...with Amaterasu?" she asked. Sosei nodded.

"I didn't know I was going to. I just remembered Dad doing it and the word came to my mind. I activated the ability after Noboru died," he said. Sakura took in a deep breath. How could she possibly be disappointed or angry at Sosei for what he had done? Had Sasuke known for sure, there wasn't a force on heaven or in hell that would've been able to stop him from eviscerating Hensou publicly. If Sakura had known, she would've leveled Hensou's entire street.

Even now, she was shaking in anger. And sadness.

"It's my fault," Sakura said.

"Our," Sosei said. Sakura looked up at the Uchiha and there was a serenity in his face. "The entire family is to blame. Not just you or Dad. We neglected Kichiro and this is what care of him and give him love. That's all he wants."

Revelation hit Sakura square in her chest.

"Is that what you want too?" she asked. Sosei looked at her and smirked.

"Perhaps," he said. Sakura smiled at him and dropped her head. When she had thought that this boy was an angry fool, he had been doing what he thought was best for his family. Something that his father wouldn't have hesitated to do. Sakura thought that Sosei would be a burden and a distraction to the rest of her family. It had taken her this long to see that just because Sosei wasn't her child, it didn't mean that he wasn't apart from her family. He was family.

He was **her** son.

And she wouldn't let hatred swallow him.


	10. Live Or Die, Family In The Fire

**A/N: Hey there everyone! The fall semester is coming to an end and finals are breathing down my neck...but I have returned with another chapter. Think of this as a mid-season finale of sorts as there's plenty more to go from here on. Enjoy! And please review!**

* * *

 

Kichiro sat quietly on the porch, his black eyes staring blankly ahead. In the yard in front of him, Takuma and Honami sparred. Kichiro couldn't tell who was winning and honestly, he didn't care. All he wanted to do was go back into the house and sleep. Anything it took to escape his current reality.

He was sure that Sosei had killed Hensou. The look in his older brother's eyes had left no questions about that. Kichiro thought that by telling Sosei, he'd keep his secret. After all, he was an ANBU Black Ops and as Sosei had told him multiple times before, he was a professional secret keeper. But instead, he had stormed out of the house and went across town. Kichiro didn't know what he was supposed to be feeling.

On one hand, he was glad that Hensou had been dealt with. He was relieved that the monster in his dreams had been slain by his brother. However, on the other hand...he felt even more hurt. In a strange way, Kichiro felt that Hensou had cared for his well-being. He had looked out for him when he was insulted by Kataki. He had taught him how a true shinobi acted. The only flaw in his character was becoming the monster.

Was even that a sin?

"Are you alright, Kichiro?" the young Uchiha's ear perked when he heard Setsuka's soft voice. Absently, he nodded, avoiding her piercing purple gaze.

"Mhm," he nodded. "I'm okay." He felt Setsuka's eyes on him still and turned to look at her. He didn't bother to frown and say something mean. He didn't have the energy and it wouldn't make him feel any better. Instead, Kichiro rose to his feet and went inside the house.

"Kichi," Hikari said. Kichiro turned, slightly annoyed that his little sister followed.

"What?" The pink-haired girl blinked inquisitively.

"Why did you come in here alone?" she asked. Kichiro sighed.

"Because I want to be alone right now, Hikari," he replied.

"Well, I don't want you to be alone." Kichiro stood still as Hikari walked forward and hugged him. "I love you, Kichi. You're my big brother. If you're sad and alone, I'll be sad and alone. We're better together," she said. Kichiro didn't attempt to push Hikari or squirm away from her tightening hug. Instead, he let his hands touch his sister's back. Her head rested on his chest and Kichiro felt a wetness on his shirt. He knew all too well that that meant that she was crying. Strangely enough, she wasn't weeping and being loud as she usually did. It was a silent cry.

My five year old sister is crying, Kichiro thought. All because of the things I've gone through.

The young Uchiha didn't want anybody else to cry over him or for him. He wanted to heal. He wanted things to be better, but could they? It had taken him being mistreated at the hands of his teacher for his family to take notice of him. For anyone aside from Sosei to even take the time out to talk to him and guide him. Now, Sosei was imprisoned, Takuma was concerned with his relationship with Honami, and Kichiro's father was...

"Papa?" Hikari said. Kichiro hadn't realized his sister had stopped hugging him. She was turned, facing the front door to the house. Past the threshold, a larger, mature and bandaged version of Kichiro stood. Sasuke Uchiha was home.

Kichiro's father walked toward him, limping slightly. From his torn clothes and his bandages, whatever mission he had been on had been a very rough one. He gingerly knelt down and winced when Hikari grabbed him and hugged him.

"Hey, little one," Sasuke said softly. He brushed his daughter's tears from her eyes and then looked to Kichiro. Under his father's onyx gaze, Kichiro felt himself break. He didn't want to cry but the tears came anyway. Before he knew it, his father's hand pulled him forward. One gently patted his head and the other held Kichiro close to his father's chest. This man, so renown throughout the world as the fiercest shinobi in the present era, whispered softly to Kichiro. "I know you think nothing's going to be ok ever again...but you're wrong," he said softly.

"Dad...I...Hensou, he..." Kichiro said, taking in sharp breaths. Again, his father quietly shushed him.

"Naruto told me everything. I just want you to know it's not your fault. I failed you and I'm sorry," he said. Kichiro was in shock. He had never heard his father apologize to him or his brothers. He'd never even thought his father was capable of any kind of wrongdoing. The man seemed like the dark, brooding personification of perfection. But to hear him say that he was sorry and that he had failed...

"Yes, sir," Kichiro said. Sasuke's eyes were locked onto Kichiro's.

"I learned long ago that just because the cause of your problem is dead, it doesn't mean that the source of your problem is gone." Kichiro's father looked at him. "I want you to become stronger. I see your potential. You just have to see it. I'll train you until you do." Kichiro nodded. Takuma's Chunin Exam was fastly approaching and he'd probably need their father to train him. Kichiro sighed.

"Will Takuma be with us too?" he asked.

"No," Sasuke replied. Kichiro blinked.

"No?" he repeated. Sasuke nodded and lightly smiled.

"Just us."

* * *

 

Takuma was shocked to see his father. The momentary pause that he took had allowed for Honami to strike him and put him on the ground, right as his father stepped out of the house. Kichiro and Hikari were close to him and Takuma noticed that his younger brother's face appeared to be brighter and more encouraged. Takuma smiled and rose to his feet quickly to meet his father.

"Father," Takuma said with excitement. Sasuke Uchiha stepped forward and nodded. He rested his hand on the hilt of his sword as his black eyes traveled from Honami and back to Takuma. The young Uchiha felt unnerved under his father's gaze.

"Sasuke-sensei?" Honami said. Takuma's father began to speak.

"It's a shame Shogo isn't here...I spoke with the Hokage about you during our mission. I told him about how you three performed during your bell test and he has approved you for advancement to the Chunin Exams," Sasuke said. Takuma's eyes widened and he looked over to Honami. Her face shared his excitement and she held her up to her body and shook.

"This is so great, ya know!?" she said. Takuma heard the excitement oozing from her voice in a way he hadn't heard before. His father looked almost amused.

"Just when I thought you weren't anything like your father," he quipped. Honami blushed slightly and then laughed. Takuma just blinked. He was lost.

"So, when are the exams supposed to begin?" Takuma asked.

"In about two months. It'll be a winter exam. Usually, we'd be heading to Sunagakure instead of having it here but that won't be the case this year," Sasuke replied. Takuma gawked and Honami raised an eyebrow.

"Wait...why not?" Takuma asked.

"Sensei, didn't you and my father defeat those rogue shinobi that attacked us?" Honami asked. Takuma wondered the same thing. His father had seemed to be more content than usual. If he had failed his mission, that certainly wouldn't be the case.

"We did," Sasuke said, not changing his tone. "This is just the decision that the Hokage has made. However, this doesn't mean that Genin from around the world won't be participating." Takuma nodded. He suspected that his father was hiding something. He never shared mission details with his children, or at least he hadn't with Takuma and Kichiro. But Takuma could tell that his father was overcompensating and hiding something. Perhaps his eyes were just that much more sharp now.

"Well, this is great!" Honami said. "I need to go tell Shogo." She looked behind Takuma's father and the young Uchiha saw Honami's adopted sister nervously walking up to Kichiro. The brown haired girl said something and Kichiro shook his head and smiled politely, before waving goodbye to her. To Takuma's surprise, Honami grabbed him and hugged him.

"Thanks for coming over," Takuma whispered.

"Of course. By the way, you might want to work on taijutsu before we fight each other in the final rounds of the Chunin Exams. Don't want to spank you in front of the world," Honami snickered in Takuma's ear. The young Uchiha remained unflappable and instead dipped his head. He smirked a little when Honami winked before she and her sister disappeared down the road.

"So," Sasuke said when the girls had gone. His voice sounded far more serious and Takuma turned to face him. "I presume you know that Sosei was imprisoned?" he said. Takuma nodded.

"Yes, sir. Kichiro...told me what happened to him." Takuma's younger brother looked up at him and then to their father. Sasuke folded his arms.

"Well..." he said softly. "Let's go visit him."

Sakura had made provisions with the Hokage for Sosei to get more comfortable bedding. The Uchiha was grateful for that. Lying on stiff plastic cot had almost made him regret killing Hensou. The ANBU guards outside of Sosei's cell had switched at least once since then. The Uchiha hadn't bothered to ask who they were since he woke up. He just stared at the ceiling with his Sharingan activated. He had gotten used to his eyes now. Keeping them activated barely consumed a drop of chakra now. He wanted to try to use the Mangekyo and adjust to the massive power boost as well as the chakra drain, but he feared the ANBU outside would take it as a threat against them.

Sosei sighed and shifted in his bed to sit up. The noise caused the ANBU to turn towards his cell. Sosei stared at them. He almost didn't realize his Sharingan was still activated until one of the ANBU seemed to drop in a defensive stance. The other ANBU placed a hand on the operative's shoulder.

"Stand down, Shōheki. He's not going to do anything," the ANBU said. Sosei perked up when he heard the man's voice and stood up from his bed.

"Komuji...?" Sosei asked. The ANBU nodded and lifted his mask. Shoheki seemed to gawk as Komuji grinned.

"Yeah. Took a bit of maneuvering to be assigned as your cell guard, but here I am." Sosei stood and walked over to the door and stopped in the middle of the floor. Shōheki was staring at him with wary eyes. Sosei remembered him. He was the blue-haired beauty Aori Hasuya's boyfriend and from the looks of it, he had been promoted by the Hokage to the rank of ANBU. The two shinobi stared at each other through the bars. Sosei wondered if Aori had mentioned him to Shōheki. That would explain why his eyes hadn't left the Uchiha since he moved.

"Is there a problem, Shōheki?" Sosei said with a smirk. Shōheki glowered and Komuji sighed.

"Don't start..." he said. "I came down here to talk to you, Sosei. Not to break up a fight," he said. Sosei chuckled and stretched. His stomach silently rumbled and he flexed his hand.

"If you can get me a bowl of rice and chicken, then I'll be ready to talk to you," the Uchiha said. Within five minutes, Sosei's captain had returned with a medium sized bowl of white rice and steamed chicken. It was bland and tasteless, but it cured Sosei's hunger quickly. After gulping down the bowl, Sosei felt his strength return to him.

"I wanted to ask if you were alright," Komuji said. "Everyone has been pretty beat up since Noboru passed, especially you and Suzume. I thought that maybe that was a reason for you killing that teacher. One of the subtle reasons," Komuji said. Sosei frowned.

"No. The only reason I did it was to make sure that monster never touched another innocent child again," the Uchiha boy said. Komuji didn't flinch.

"So it had nothing to do with us not being strong enough to save Noboru?" Sosei paused and allowed Komuji to continue his thought. "I know how things work with you, Sosei. I've known you for a little more than two years and I've fought alongside you. You're very emotionally distant, but you establish attachments to people. Being human doesn't make you any less of a shinobi. Even if that humanity makes you feel weak."

Sosei blinked. "So what are you saying?" Komuji shook his head.

"I don't want you to believe that having emotions makes you a weak shinobi. All you need to do is learn how to harness it and let it fuel you. Just not in a way that causes suffering for yourself and your family," the silver-haired young man said.

"I haven't caused any suffering for my family," Sosei retorted. "I helped free Kichiro from that piece of shit when my family hadn't even taken notice." Komuji's eyes stared into Sosei's.

"So you honestly think your little brother is better served with you in prison, awaiting either a death or life sentence?" Sosei blinked and felt his heart racing.

"W-what?"

"That's right," Komuji said. "As an ANBU Black Ops, you serve directly under the supervision of the Hokage. No one in the Police Corps or any of the other ANBU operatives can arrest or command you unless directed by the Hokage himself. But when you disobey a direct order from the only person that is allowed to give you directives, the punishment is severe," Komuji explained. The ANBU captain folded his arms. "Can you live with that?"

Sosei thought on that briefly. It was true that he had disobeyed the Hokage and had acted purely out of his emotions. He had been willing to preserve the bastard's life under the orders of the Hokage until the monster had taunted Sosei. Whatever punishment or trial Hensou would've gone through wouldn't have been nearly as swift as the justice that Sosei had dealt to him. At that moment, Sosei had felt peace in knowing that nobody would ever have to deal with that bastard again...but now he was troubled by the fact that all he had were claims made by a emotionally distressed ten year old boy and himself. A young shinobi that the world would see as a killer of his own. A traitor who disobeyed his Hokage and took the life of a shinobi whose job it was to instruct the next generation in the shinobi arts.

No matter what crimes that teacher had commited, they'd be treated as mere rumors. The unavoidable fact was that an Uchiha had murdered an instructor, despite his Hokage telling him to stand down. But his little brother was safe, if only from that monster and his actions had caused his father and Sakura to pay y more attention to the boy, at least he'd hoped. If dying was a result of saving Kichiro from a predator's grasp, then...

"Yes, I can live with it...or die with it," Sosei said solemnly. Komuji stared at him and the silver-haired shinobi slowly nodded. Sosei could tell from the wrinkles under his eyes that he was smiling.

"Then I'm sure things will work out for you," the young man said. Sosei stared through the bars of his cell door and sighed softly. He hoped in his heart that Komuji was right.

* * *

 

"So are we going to start this meeting or what?" an elderly woman said. Her trademark purple hair was beginning to gray and her spiky ponytail was starting to droop. The older woman next to her touched her shoulder and smiled.

"We're just waiting on one more. You know he's always late," she said. The Sixth Hokage stood against a wall and looked up at the ceiling. He noticed a few cracks that he needed to repair in this chamber, the cobwebs that needed to be dusted and some paint that needed to be reapplied. It must've been the boredom that caused him to notice these things.

Naruto sighed. Although he had no issue with the Konoha Council, he preferred not to have his opinions and decisions questioned. He was stubborn, nearly to a fault, and once he had his mind set on a plan of action, it'd take divine intervention to cause him to change course. The Council had advised against he and Sasuke pursuing the Three Deaths, saying it would leave the village practically defenseless should the terrorists change their course and attack Konoha, despite those Councilors being three powerful shinobi in their own right. They had even spoken against assisting Kirigakure in their reconstruction, citing Konoha's own needs. But Naruto had done so anyway.

The Three Deaths had been reduced to two, one if the injuries sustainted by the kunoichi caused her to be dead and he and Sasuke had discovered some clue as to who the leader of those shinobi were. The Hokage closed his eyes and the image of Yashagoro came to him. Long black hair, a slim, muscular figure and blue eyes that changed to golden slits when he was angered. At first, he believed it was Orochimaru. But there was no way it could've been.

The Sannin had been resurrected during the Fourth Shinobi World War and had been instrumental in evening the battlefield in favor of the Alliance, but after the war had been won, the Sage of Six Paths returned his soul back to the land of the dead. For Orochimaru to still be present was impossible. The man was a mad scientist at his core, hellbent on unlocking the secrets of immortality, but the Sage had ended that struggle for him. There was no way he could still be alive.

 _Unless..._ Naruto thought.

"Lord Hokage, if I may?" the purple haired woman said. Naruto opened his eyes and smiled lightly.

"Go ahead, Anko-sensei," he replied. Anko Mitarashi dipped her head.

"We've been waiting for at least fifteen minutes now. This is a decision that needs to be decided on quickly. I motion that we start this meeting without-"

"We can't," the other Elder said.

"Shizune, please..." Anko said, rolling her eyes.

"His input is just as important as ours. He has a habit for lateness, we know this and I'm sure the Hokage does as well. Just a little while longer. We can't come to a full decision without him," Shizune replied. Anko grumbled.

"If that old geezer doesn't bring his a..." The door opened slowly and Naruto looked to see who was entering. His face shifted to a smile.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late," the man said as he casually strolled in. "I got a little lost on the path of life." Anko sighed.

"Kakashi Hatake, I would've thought that this habit of lateness would've died as you've grown older." Kakashi smiled under his facemask and took his seat, groaning a little as he sat down.

"Wonderful to see you as well, Anko. Lady Shizune," he said. Shizune smiled politely and dipped her head. The Three Councilors turned to Naruto. When everyone had settled, Naruto stepped from the wall and sat in front of the Council. His heart raced a little, as it always did when he had to speak to the most respected shinobi in his village, aside from himself.

"Alright, everyone. Thanks for assembling on such a late notice," the Hokage started. "As you may know, there's been a tragedy in the village. A very complicated one. Sosei Uchiha, an ANBU black operative, killed an Academy instructor, despite me ordering him to stand down," Naruto said. The Councilors looked at each other.

"That doesn't sound too complicated at all. He disobeyed a direct order from his leader and he should be punished accordingly," Anko replied. Kakashi nodded but then rested his chin on his hand.

"That is true, however, something tells me that there's more to it than simply that. Am I right, Lord Hokage?" Naruto's former sensei cast his knowing gaze towards him and the blonde shinobi sighed.

"Yeah, sensei. It appears that Hensou molested one of his students after using a genjutsu to immobilize him then attempted to cover his tracks by placing genjutsu seals if someone tried to look into it," he said. "That student is Sosei's youngest brother, Kichiro." The room was quiet. The Elders looked between each other and Kakashi hung his head. Shizune turned to the Hokage.

"How do you know that this is true, Lord Hokage?" she asked.

"Sasuke told me. He and Sakura were attempting to repair Kichiro's mind after he fell comatose. He saw it and he informed me on his findings. We were going to arrest Hensou and bring him in when we returned to the village, but by the time we got back, the deed was already done. My clone and Shikamaru restrained him and put him in prison," Naruto said.

"Well, that is complicated," Kakashi said as he rubbed his chin. Anko and Shizune nodded.

"What were you planning to do with him? Just hold him in prison?" Shizune asked.

"There's nothing really else to do. If he had simply killed the teacher without cause or for a weaker cause, then life imprisonment is the standard punishment. Disobeying a Kage's order in the old days would've probably have been execution or banishment," Anko replied.

"But, this young man killed an instructor that took advantage of his younger sibling," Shizune finished. Anko titled her head back and groaned softly. Naruto's eyes went to her.

"The problem is, this young man is an Uchiha and the world has already dealt with enough 'crazy' Uchiha. The Alliance barely held together when Sasuke was accepted back into the fold," she said. Kakashi chuckled softly.

"They had no choice, really. Sasuke helped Naruto save the world from the Infinite Tsukuyomi. Without them, there'd be no Alliance to speak of."

"I think Anko's point is, the village is watching. Letting Sosei go 'unpunished' would be seen as nepotism because of how close the Lord Hokage is to Sasuke. Punishing him to harshly will alienate the Uchiha from us AGAIN," Shizune said. Naruto folded his arms and wrinkled his brow as he closed his eyes.

"So, doing too much will make me appear as if I'm choosing sides and doing too much will seem too harsh?" Naruto said. "What do you three suggest I do?" The Elders kept their eyes on Naruto and the blonde man felt uneasy again.

"What was your original plan of action?" Anko asked. Naruto shook his head. He had a few ideas, but none of them seemed to be appropriate for the situation. He understood Sosei's struggle. If anything had happened to Konohamaru when they were younger, especially on this level, he would've done anything to cause that person pain. This was the only family that Sosei had. He had just gotten past the wall he had built around himself and now, Naruto was forced to make a decision to determine the boy's future.

"Should I punish a shinobi for protecting that which is precious to him? The only thing that is precious enough to keep him grounded?" Naruto asked. the Elders looked at each other and then back at Naruto. The Hokage continued to speak. "The primary goal of every shinobi is to protect the villag, their home. An Academy instructor that preys on children is a danger to the village and I believe it was my failure to react on time that caused this situation to occur. I encourage every shinobi to find something that they feel is worth protecting, outside of this village. I want every shinobi to stay grounded and realize that they are human and not simply tools. I can't and I won't punish Sosei for doing what I encourage others to do."

Naruto paused and sighed.

"However, he disobeyed an order to stand down from his Hokage. For that, I have to discipline him. He just needs to know that no one's word superceds mine in this village," he said. The Elders all nodded and Kakashi closed his eyes as he smiled.

"The same lesson his father had to be taught, if I'm not mistaken," he said. Naruto shook his head and closed his eyes. He remembered during his first year as the Hokage when Sasuke had gone against an order he had made, privately challenging Naruto's position as Hokage and it had taken a near hour long battle to beat sense into the Uchiha.

"Not necessarily the same," Naruto chuckled softly. He wanted to teach Sosei. He wanted to guide him and make sure that he learned valuable lessons about respect and what it meant to be a shinobi. The same lessons that he had learned from shinobi that were much older than he was and had experienced the world when it was at its worst. Naruto's eyes shifted upward to Kakashi. The older man looked a little worried.

"Lord Hokage?" he asked.

"I believe Sosei would benefit from being guided by an older shinobi, with more experience than I. Kakashi-sensei, I want you to teach Sosei until you believe he is ready to stand on his own. I'll demote him from ANBU status and place him under your charge," Naruto said. Kakashi's face mask could barely hide his shock, but he didn't seem dissatisfied with Naruto's declaration. Instead, he dipped his head respectfully.

"If you believe that my guidance will help him, then I'll do what I can," he replied. Naruto dipped his head.

"Good, he'll report to you as often as you see fit but he'll take no missions from the village until you believe he's ready," the Hokage said. With that, he unfolded his arms. "Thank you three so much for your assistance and for gathering at this time. I'll see you all again, soon." The Hokage winked and in a puff of yellow chakra and smoke, he disappeared.

* * *

 

Takuma had rarely seen his mother more excited to see his father than she was now. Something about the way she acted made Takuma feel both warm with a flushing embarrassment and a sense of familial love. It was a refreshing sight. His parents didn't really perform public displays of affaection towards each other, especially not around he and his siblings. Perhaps it was just the occassion.

The entire family sat inside of Sosei's prison cell. Padded chairs had been brought in so that everyone would be comfortable, although Hikari insisted on sitting next to Sosei and hugging him. She talked constantly about some of the lessons she was beginning to learn about basic shinobi skills and Sosei nodded with a patience that Takuma hadn't seen before.

Sosei's prison cell was more spacious than Takuma would've thought it was. The ANBU Black Ops outside used a barrier to uncover the barred door so that the Uchiha family could enter. Now, here they sat. Takuma's parents talked with each other and Sakura seemed to be growing more and more disturbed. Takuma wanted to ask what happened during his father's mission but he decided against it. When things were quiet, there was a flash in the middle of the room. A yellow one.

The Hokage's white cloak flapped in the gust of wind that he had created. The blonde man had a smile on his face as he turned around and faced the Uchiha family.

"Well, isn't this a great sight," he said, grinning. "Good to see you all again." Takuma's father dipped his head.

"Naruto," he said. The Hokage cleared his throat and looked towards Takuma. He winked an eye and then looked at Kichiro. He walked over towards Takuma's younger brother, knelt and touched the top of his head.

"Hey kiddo. How are you feeling?" the Hokage said. Kichiro shrugged his shoulders.

"I'll be ok, I guess," Kichiro replied. He then looked past the Hokage and Takuma followed his eyes. He was looking at Sosei. "What's going to happen to my brother?" he asked. Naruto smiled and stood up.

"Well, Kichiro, I have good news. For everyone," Naruto said. Takuma waited with bated breath as the Hokage continued to speak. "As Hokage, I've encouraged the young shinobi as well as the older shinobi to find something of value to protect outside of their village to keep them grounded human beings. Sosei values all of you as his family and as a shinobi, he decided it was his duty to protect the youth of the village from a predatory instructor. For that, I can't punish him. So, I'll be releasing him from prison, effective immediately."

Takuma's eyes widened and he saw everyone in the room light up. Takuma himself smiled until he looked over to his father. The man's face was flint still.

"There's still the matter of disobedience, right?" he said. Naruto nodded.

"Yes, there's still that," he replied. His blue eyes turned to Sosei and Takuma watched him. "Sosei, as you know, an ANBU answers only to the Hokage. It was a position I gave you out of trust that'd you would listen and follow my directives, no matter how you felt about them. However, it was my mistake for placing that level of responsibility on you so soon, simply based on your physical prowess. So, I am stripping you of your status as an ANBU."

Sosei's face fell briefly, but he gathered himself. He must've expected that to happen. He wouldn't leave this situation unscathed. Takuma knew that from the get go.

"So, what will I be doing?" Sosei asked the Hokage. That's when Naruto smiled wider.

"It is the responsibility of the older generation to teach the new what it means to be a shinobi. For this purpose, I will place you under the tutelage of my former master as well as your father and Sakura's. You will serve Kakashi Hatake, the legendary Copy Ninja, until he perceives that you are ready to return to active duty as a Konoha shinobi. Once that happens, you'll have to earn your way back to ANBU status. Understood?" Naruto said. With a measured nod, Sosei agreed. Naruto smiled. "Good." His eyes then turned to Takuma and the young Uchiha looked up at him. All the Hokage did was wink again, before disappearing into a yellow flash.

The Uchiha looked at each other and Takuma watched something odd happen. His father stood up with his mother and walked to the center of the cell. He motioned for everyone to come close and gather around. The four children did as he beckoned and Sakura pulled everyone into a hug.

"I love you all," Sasuke said with uncharacteristic warmth in his voice. "There is nothing I value more than this family."

"We haven't done the best to show it," Sakura continued. "But we are proud and love each of you equally. From this day forward, we will be better parents to you. All of you." Takuma smiled and embraced his family. All of them squeezed and then broke away as they rounded up Sosei's things. The Uchiha family exited Sosei's cell and Takuma felt like their strength had been renewed. Kichiro was smiling more and talking with Hikari. Takuma's parents were arm in arm and Sosei looked down at him and pulled him closer to give him a brotherly hug.

The Uchiha walked out, a shining flame, refueled by loss and strenghtened by love. Whatever came now, Takuma knew that they would be ready. He would be ready.


	11. The Written Trials

_Two Months Later..._

* * *

 

The wind was chilly and damp. The sky above was a cool grey. The leaves on the trees had fallen and withered away. Winter had come. With the leaves gone, Kichiro had nowhere obvious to hide. His stealth skills had to be perfect. For the last two months, his father had kept his word and kept their training sessions just between them. Takuma got time in every now and then, but he mostly kept his skills up with Sosei whenever the elder brother was home. Kichiro both adored and dreaded this time he spent with his father. Sasuke Uchiha was a hard teacher and any praise Kichiro ever received had been earned with blood, bumps and bruises. But this was the attention from his father that he had always wanted.

Kichiro's father appeared on the tree trunk like a phantom and the young Uchiha darted away quickly, using a chakra burst from his feet. Kichiro had learned over the past two months that he wasn't as naturally fast or agile as his brothers or father. Instead, he had another skill.

The young boy's father was close and had unsheathed his sword. Raising his arms up, he left his body open. Kichiro balled his fist and focused chakra to his hands. His punch rocketed forward and crashed into his father's mid-section. Kichiro heard the cracking of bones and the air wheeze from Sasuke's mouth. Limply, Kichiro's father fell to the ground and the young Uchiha paused.

His dark onyx eyes gazed up into the sky as the clouds shifted from cool grey to bright red and the sun spiraled from a bright spot in the sky into the black flames of Amaterasu. The sun began to plunge towards Kichiro, but the young Uchiha simply stood still. He closed his eyes, raised his hands together and performed a handseal.

"Release," he said.

When Kichiro opened his eyes again, he stood in the center of the Spot with his father. Frost still lingered on the blades of grass, coloring them silver against the grey sky. Sasuke stared down at him with his Sharingan activated, trained on him. A rare smirk crossed the Uchiha's face.

"Very good," he said. Kichiro smiled and followed his father to a medium sized black pot that hung over a pile of stones. With a quick breath, Kichiro's father spewed fire, heating up the pot. Kichiro smelled the seductive scent of rice, mixed vegetables and shrimp. His stomach gurgled. His father never allowed him to eat until his training had been finished.

After finishing the first bowl and warming his stomach, Kichiro looked up at the clouds and reflected. Today was a big day for his family. The Chunin Exams started today and Takuma and his team were particpating. Although Sasuke was Takuma's sensei, he continued to train Kichiro every morning. In the end, Takuma seemed to recognize the importance of the promise that their father had made and was fine. From what Kichiro understood, the Chunin Exams were a team activity so training with his team was important for Takuma's growth.

Kichiro on the other hand was advancing at a heightened rate. His taijutsu skill had improved greatly over the two months, his ninjutsu application was growing daily and his genjutsu was so strong that his father didn't seem to be holding back any longer, even though Kichiro knew otherwise. Even so, knowing that he was either catching up to or had surpassed Kataki made him excited about his growth. He was eager for the next test that he'd have against his bitter rival.

In the aftermath of the incident with Hensou, the Hokage instituted a brand new screening system for prospective instructors. For Kichiro's class, Udon had returned, if only for a few more months until their genin test. The thought of that also filled Kichiro with a sense of wonder and excitement. Soon, he'd be where Takuma had been two years ago with his own team of friends and a sensei that would further their training towards being full-fledged shinobi. The young Uchiha smiled as he daydreamed about all the missions he'd take part in and the lands he'd traverse in his travels.

"You've done well, today," Sasuke said. Kichiro looked up to see his father rising tp his feet. "For now, our training sessions will be put on a hold. Though, I'm confident you've learned enough to reach the top of your class now." Kichiro quickly nodded. He was sure that now, Kataki would be no match for him.

"Teach me how to activate the Sharingan, dad...please?" the young Uchiha asked. Sasuke blinked and smirked a little. He walked over to Kichiro and ruffled his hair, before touching his forehead with two fingers.

"Maybe another time. Takuma and his team require my presence," Sasuke replied. "Behave in school." In a flash of black, Kichiro's father was gone. The young boy looked around and noticed the white light of the Sun attempting to peak through the clouds. It'd be time for him to go soon. Kichiro gathered his things and headed away from the Spot. The well-worn dirt path led him through the forests where birds chirped and squirrels scurried as he walked through back to his home.

When Kichiro opened the door, Hikari was on him with a bright smile on her face. "Kichi! Kichi! I'm glad you're home!" she said. "I want to show you something!" Kichiro smiled at his little sister and hugged her.

"Uh, okay, Hikari. I just need to go wash up and change my clothes. I'll be right out. Just give me a minute," he replied. Hikari nodded quickly then wrinkled her brow.

"Sixty seconds or did you mean longer?" she asked. Kichiro sighed softly.

"How about this...I'll try to be out in sixty seconds. If I'm not, I'll owe you a piggyback ride. That good?" he asked. Hikari shrugged.

"I guess. When the skinny clock hand reached the nine again, your time will be up," she said, folding her arms. Kichiro nodded and raced back to the bathroom. He quickly stripped and wiped himself down with a scented soap rag then dripped water down his body. He then dried himself off with his towel and darted to his room and changed into his school clothes. After his zipped his collared shirt up to his collarbone, he ran out to see his baby sister.

"Did I..." Kichiro started.

"Nope. The skinny clock hand is on the ten. You owe me a piggyback ride, Kichi," she said with a smile. Kichiro rolled his eyes. As Hikari grew heavier, he found that their piggyback rides were turning from fun into weight training. He sighed.

"Fine," he said. Kichiro then smiled. "What did you want to show, Hikari?" the Uchiha boy asked. Hikari looked around.

Her pink-haired head looked from corner to corner before she crept up to Kichiro and said, "I learned a jutsu," she said. Kichiro leaned back a bit, surprised. Maybe she had learned something from their mother after spending so much time with her. If Hikari could perform some kind of healing jutsu at her age, Kichiro would no doubt call her a prodigy.

"Well, show me," Kichiro said. Hikari shook her head.

"Mama told me not to do it in the house. Let's go out to the lake," Hikari spoke softly. Kichiro shrugged and nodded. He had a few hours to kill, it seemed. He could entertain his little sister for a bit longer. Kichiro led Hikari out to their backyard, only after he got her to put on a jacket. After that scuffle, the Uchiha siblings went outside. Hikari stood in front of the lake, then turned to Kichiro with a large smile. "Are you ready?" she asked.

"Ready when you are," Kichiro replied. Hikari turned away from him and Kichiro frowned. How did she expect him to see what she was about to do if she turned away...

A fire ball floated across the lake and it wasn't small. It was practically the same size as the ones Kichiro created with all of his power. When the fireball evaporated into smoke, Hikari turned around again with the same smile. Kichiro could only stand in awe with wide eyes.

"How did you learn to do that?" Kichiro asked. Hikari skipped over to him and then stopped.

"Mama taught me. Do you think Papa will like it?"

* * *

 

"Again."

Sosei held out his hand and focused as lightning chakra sparked in his hand. Initially, it was wild and pure white in color. Slowly, Sosei condensed the lightning, adding his own chakra to the mix. The wild streaks of lightning straightened andand condensed into a spiraling ball of lightning chakra. Instead of the normal chirping of the Chidori, there was the faint clap of thunder in Sosei's hand. His Sharingan stayed focused on his attack and his body maintained its focus on chakra control. Finally, a voice spoke.

"Alright. Dissipate it." Sosei took in a deep breath and then closed his hand. The chakra sunk back inside his hand and released into his body. When Sosei had first started, the process of releasing the electricity-laden chakra into his system had paralyzed him. After taking a few weeks, Sosei had learned how to separate the lightning from the chakra, converting the lightning into electrolytes to enhance his body's reaction time. It was a valuable and useful skill, one which Sosei was eager to use on the battlefield, once he finally had an opportunity to return to it.

Kakashi Hatake nodded approvingly and appeared to smile under his mask. Sosei had been under his tutelage for the last two months and learning how to create a Perfect Lightning Blade had been the least of the lessons he had learned. The former teacher of both the Hokage and Sosei's own father was a patient and experienced man with experience with both personal loss and dealing with the loss of others. In Sosei's mind, Kakashi had been partially responsible for his Sasuke's return to the light, though Kakashi himself denied this. However, his experience with the Uchiha clan, including his own friend, Obito, Sosei's uncle Itachi and his father made him and excellent confidant and instructor.

If only he could put his Icha Icha books down...

"I remember teaching your father the Chidori," Kakashi said as he walked forward. "I can without a shadow of a doubt that you're every bit as stubborn and a perfectionist as he is." Sosei perceived that as a compliment and dipped his head. Kakashi rested his hands in his pocket. "As i stated when I first decided to teach you the jutsu, the Lightning Blade is a perfected, controlled version of the Chidori. The Perfect Lightning Blade, even more so. The same level of perfection and control that you use in creating techniques must be used in your everyday life, Sosei. You are a shinobi of the Hidden Leaf and it is your duty to protect those of the village, including your family...but only by following the laws established by your Hokage. Understood?"

Sosei took in Kakashi's words. At the end of every training session, they had been repeated to him. Control and duty. He had to practice self-control and uphold his duty in service to the village. The village had to come first, even over his family. His duty had to come first, even over his feelings. He had to protect the village, before he protected himself. That was his calling. Sosei blinked and then nodded his head. "Yes, sir. I understand," he replied. Kakashi looked him over and dipped his head.

"Very well. I shall report to the Hokage that I believe you're ready to resume active duty. Where he places you will be up to him, but don't expect your ANBU status right away." Sosei didn't. He had never expected the Hokage to give him the same level of immunity he once had. He had barely expected to remain a part of the village.

"Thank you, Kakashi-sensei," Sosei said. Kakashi paused and looked at Sosei. The Uchiha titled his head. "Is something wrong?" he asked. Kakashi chuckled and shook his head.

"No, no. Just...your father never addressed me as sensei. And hearing you say it..." Kakashi closed his eyes and smiled. "Well, it would seem I've gotten a bit sentimental in my old age," he said.

* * *

 

"There's so many kids here," Shōgo said. Takuma could barely breathe or contain his excitement. He and his team stood in a circle, waiting for Sasuke-sensei to arrive. Takuma looked around the room and saw virtually every genin that he had graduated with was present, including a few older Konoha genin. There were even genin from other villages. Sunagakure genin stood in one corner and shinobi from Kumo were also present. This was the greatest gathering of ninja that Takuma had seen since his father fought against the Hokage several years back for an exhibition fundraiser.

"How strong do you think everyone is?" Takuma asked, turning to Shōgo. The orange haired boy shrugged.

"Dunno. There's kids here that are older than us by a few years. They've definitely got more experience than we do," Shōgo replied. Takuma nodded. They all probably did have better experience. But, there was one thing that they didn't have and Takuma could sense that he was approaching. Sasuke Uchiha appeared behind Takuma and Honami and Shōgo's faces lit up. In fact, almost every person in the room turned to face Team Sasuke and they all stared in absolute awe.

"Wow...that's Sasuke Uchiha," one Kumo genin said with a hushed voice.

"Yeah, he and the Sixth Hokage saved the world during the Fourth Shinobi World War."

"Those are his students?"

"That one looks like his son and that girl is a Hyūga. I wonder how strong that other guy is?"

In a brief moment, Takuma went from being the observant, awe-struck fanboy to becoming a miniature celebrity himself. There were a few around the room that weren't singing his team's praises before they even saw them fight. A group of Suna genin kept their eyes on him. One girl in particular with dark green eyes glared across the room, directly at Shōgo. Takuma cut his eyes away and found himself looking directly at Hajime. Honami's Hyūga clansman glowered and folded his arms. Takuma could almost feel his hatred radiating off of him. But why? Why did he hate Takuma so much? And why did he hate Honami?

"Focus," Sasuke whispered. Takuma turned and listened to his father. He was addressing the team. "Everyone in this room until the Exams end are your opponents and rivals." His eyes looked directly to Hajime, who looked away. Sasuke narrowed his onyx eyes. "Some more than others." He looked back at the team. "Regardless, you three have to remember to function as a team. You've done well against me and on missions. You just have to apply everything I've tried to teach you and everything that you've experienced." He placed his hands on Honami and Shōgo's shoulders and looked from them to Takuma. "I'm proud of you all. You'll do well," he said. Though his tone was as stoic as it usually was, Takuma heard the splashes of warmth in his voice. Shōgo wiped underneath his goggles and sniffled.

"Thanks, sensei," he said. Honami nodded quickly.

"We won't let you down," she smiled. For a moment, Takuma noticed that she looked less like Lady Hinata and more like the Hokage. Takuma locked eyes with his father and sighed softly. He wanted with all of his heart to impress his father and to bring honor and acclaim to the Uchiha again. Deep inside, he still felt shame due to his lack of a Sharingan. Everyone would be expecting it. But, if he could prove himself without it, he'd gain their respect even more.

"We've got it, Sasuke-sensei," Takuma said. Team Sasuke shared a few more moments of sentiment before a loud voice began to speak.

"Attention! All genin squad leaders, please report to the upper observatory. It is time for the Winter Chunin Exams to commence." Sasuke gave his team a final nod, before he walked forward. The other jonin said their goodbyes and Takuma saw Konohamaru-sensei link up with Sasuke. They disappeared up the stairwell, leaving all of the genin alone.

The kids all looked around, exchanging glances. Takuma heard nothing except sudden, unbearable silence. Finally, the voice over the speakers spoke again.

"Welcome to the Winter Chunin Exams. This is Stage One. Currently, there are twenty-five teams in the room together. That's too many. For the next round, only fifteen teams will be allowed entry." A door wheezed as it opened and a figure stepped forward through the smoke. He wore a three-strip optical visor and a hooded, high collared jacket. His hands were tucked deep within his pockets. Takuma didn't recognize him and when he looked to see the faces of his teammates, they didn't seem to know him either.

"Is he...?" Honami whispered. The hooded man seemed to hear them.

"I am your proctor for the first two stages of the exams. My name is Shino Aburame," he said in a low voice. The genin were hushed throughout the room. The man before was as mysterious as he was intimidating. His low, monotone voice and his covered face only added to the eeriness of him. "The first part of the exam is a single question. You will have seconds to answer it." Shino turned his head and looked around the room. "Every team member must split apart from their teammates. At the end of the allotted time, you will place your answer in the box designated to your team," he said. "Move, now."

Takuma looked to Honami and Shōgo. Silently, the three separated. Honami went to a corner, Shōgo faced the wall closest to him and Takuma decided to cross the entire room. The genin moved around quickly, moving among each other like shuffled cards. When everyone had settled, Takuma looked around him. To his left. there was a Kumo village girl with brown skin and black hair that stopped at her shoulder. To his right, there was a Konoha boy that Takuma had never seen before. The boy looked incredibly nervous and sweat dripped from his brow. Briefly, Takuma wondered if this was his first time or even his second.

A pile of paper passed between the genin as they stood. Takuma took one and passed. A pen came next to his hand.

Then, Shino spoke, standing in the middle of the room.

"You are surrounded by enemy shinobi, hellbent on destroying you. You have the intel you need but you need to escape. Your team of three needs to choose one person to serve as the decoy. Who will it be?" There was a moment of silence. "You have twenty more seconds to answer," Shino said.

Takuma immediately stared down at his paper. What would he do? Honami was the most skilled of the group and her defensive techniques were phenomenal, but her Byakugan was a valued treasure in the village that would serve best when fleeing and keeping an eye for the enemy pursuing. Takuma thought to write Shōgo's name, but immediately withdrew. Shōgo was highly intelligent and a skilled tactician, but even if he came up with a plan, he wouldn't survive being a decoy long enough for anyone to escape.

"Ten seconds," Shino's voice crept across the room.

Takuma froze. He had to make a decision quickly. Honami would be needed to defend Shōgo as they fled. Shōgo's foresight would enable him to create defensive plans and use various routes to lose the enemy. Only Takuma had the raw power to hold enemies back. His fire jutsu would at least create a wall between he and the enemy shinobi that would give them a chance to escape. He had the speed to cut through his enemies quickly and the destructive power to hold them back. For the sake of the mission, he'd sacrifice himself.

Takuma wrote his name on the paper, nanoseconds before Shino spoke, "Finished." The hooded man then began to walk around the room, looking from student to student. He seemed to look them in the eyes and then to their papers. When he stopped at Takuma, the Uchiha took in a sharp breath.

Shino looked at his paper and then to Takuma. He walked away without a sound and stopped at several other people, including Shōgo and Honami. Takuma looked down his row and saw Hajime narrow his eyes, before he suddenly looked at Takuma. Takuma leaned back.

When Shino returned to the center of the room, he put his hands back into his pockets. "Many of you chose very interesting answers, however, some of you declined to answer at all." He paused and then raised a folder from his pockets and looked through it. "Team Rikodo of Suna, Team Tsugami of Kumo, Team Jisa of Kumo, Team Chigo of Kumo and Team Madoka of Konoha...you all are disqualified for failing to answer the question," Shino said.

"What the hell!?" one genin yelled. Takuma saw a tall, blonde haired boy step forward. "How are we disqualified?" Shino turned to him.

"Because, young genin, failing to make decisions during a mission will spell catastrophe for you and your entire team. Because, your village will suffer due to your indecision. You failed. Leave," Shino said, dismissively. The blonde boy looked crestfallen as did the rest of his team. Slowly, the teams called left the room. Takuma looked around.

Ten more needed to leave.

"A few of you...chose the same person to be used as a decoy. This lines up correctly with one aspect of this test. Teamwork, however, a few of you are disqualified," Shino said. Takuma narrowed his eyes and saw a small black bug crawl on Shino's shoulder. He almost shuddered. Who was this man? "During the movement, a few of you used transformation and substitution jutsu in order to stay next to your teammates. You may fool the naked eyes, but...I have a way of knowing who is who."

Shino named off five more teams, all from Konoha that had collaborated. One team consisted of kids from Takuma's own class. The rest were older. Takuma suspected that the older shinobi had pressured the younger team to follow their ruse. Now, they had all been eliminated.

Five more needed to go.

Shino looked around the room and took in a quiet breath.

"The rest of you that answered, choosing a single member of your team...as well as those that chose someone aside from yourself to be the decoy and take the fall...are disqualified," Shino said. "You'll find a bug on each of your papers so there's no point in hiding and pretending that you aren't the ones." Five more teams disappeared. Takuma panted in shock and surprise. He had passed. Had that meant that...

"What is the true answer to the question?" Takuma asked, raising his hand. Shino turned to him and appeared to be ready to speak, but Shōgo spoke before him.

"Self-sacrifice," Shōgo replied. Shino didn't seem to be the least bit flustered. Or at least, Takuma wasn't able to tell. Instead, he simply nodded.

"Every shinobi must be willing to do what it takes for their mission to be a success. Often times, it requires one to give up their lives for the sake of their village. Because of your answers, you all have proven yourselves capable of recognizing your teammates value and worth to the success of a mission as well as a willingness to sacrifice yourselves for the mission," Shino said. "Therefore, you all are ready to pass to the second stage. However, once I explain the conditions of this stage, whomever wishes to quit now won't be judged."

No one moved. Takuma only blinked. Shino continued talking. "You will be entering the Forest of Death. This area contains every maner of danger, from wild animals, carnivorous plants, quicksand and booby traps. You are required to retrieve a scroll and return to your starting tower by the time the third siren sounds. If you do not, your tower will be destroyed and you'll be disqualified. There are only four scrolls." This caused everyone to be quiet. Everyone looked at each other, silent. In the noiseless room, it seemed that everyone agreed to the conditions. Because of this, Shino continued.

"Then, you all enter at your own peril." Shino turned and pressed a few buttons on a keypad. The doors wheezed open, letting loose a puff of smoke. Takuma heard the sounds of a forest. Birds called and flapped in the canopy. Shino stepped to the side and allowed the genin to enter. Takuma got together with his team and looked to Shōgo and Honami. The orange-haired boy was staring downward, as well as the rest of the other genin. Takuma followed their eyes and looked down. His dark green eyes widened.

The Forest of Death was covered in a glass dome, with observatory towers. The forest was thick and monstrous and they were standing above it. It stretched for what seemed to be an eternity and Takuma could see more towers that lined the area. As the young Uchiha thought on the possibility of finding a scroll in this dense jungle, he had only two words to say...

"Holy shit..."

* * *

 

**Please Review!**


	12. Welcome to the Forest

**A/N: The Chunin Exams continue! Enjoy!**

* * *

Takuma looked from Shōgo to Honami, each of them with a nervous gleam in their eyes. They stood alone in their tower as the elevator descended to the lower levels. Shōgo had broken down the math that Takuma had been reflecting on since their proctor Shino had made the announcement. There were only four scrolls, an unknown amount of time between the ringing of the sirens and fifteen other teams competing to find the scrolls. And that wasn't even mentioning the scores of other dangers the Forest of Death possessed. Their projected chances of retrieving the scroll, while fending off the other genin and wild animals was low, especially when their time was limited. They had faced worse and survived.

"We're going to pass this," Takuma said, nodding to his friends. Honami smiled at him and their eyes locked. Shōgo nodded.

"I've got a few strategies working," he replied, pointing to his head. "But, I'll follow your lead." Takuma smirked and then looked to Honami.

"First thing we're going to need is to know exactly what's happening around us. The Byakugan will give us an advantage," he said. Shōgo chuckled.

"Yeah, over all but Hajime's team. He has the Byakugan too, plus, Mimi and her dog, Zasshumaru. They'll do pretty well tracking if they can get the smell of the scroll." Takuma remembered the way Hajime had glared at him during the first stage of the exam and then the way he had glared at Honami. There was obvious bad blood there and Takuma suspected that he'd be their number one enemy in this open arena.

"The sooner we retrieve our scroll, the better," Honami said. The elevator lowered past the trees and was beginning to slow down. "The longer we drag it on, the more desperate and dangerous everyone will become."

"So, we make this as quick as possible," Shōgo voiced his agreement. Just as he did, the elevator stopped. Takuma took in a sharp breath and looked to his left and to his right. Honami activated her Byakugan and Shōgo drew a kunai to his hand. They were ready. Takuma stared forward as the elevator doors opened and exposed the forest to them.

"Let's move," Takuma whispered. The three genin darted out into the underbrush, before quickly descending up the trunk of a massive tree. Takuma took the lead with Honami trailing him. Shōgo stayed behind, covering the one degree that the Byakugan couldn't see. Takuma kept his eyes trained ahead, trusting Honami's eyes to cover their flanks. His other senses were devoted to locating other threat. He listened out for other teams leaping through the trees or scampering through the brush below.

"I see something," Honami whispered. Takuma glanced back at her.

"What is it?" the Uchiha asked.

"I think it's a scroll. It's shrouded by a layer of chakra, but I can still make out its shape." Shōgo bounded to Honami's side.

"How far out is it?" he asked. Honami shook her head.

"Not too far, about two hundred meters west. It's on the very edge of my vision range though," she replied. Takuma nodded.

"Then let's get a move on. The quicker we get there, right?" he said with a slight smile. He paused and let Honami take the lead, following her as she led them toward where she reported her findings.

Takuma's heart pounded in his chest but he attempted to keep a calm and stoic look about himself. He was nervous. The forest was far too quiet and filled with young shinobi that he didn't know and one that he knew was out to destroy he and Honami. He didn't know if they were taught the same as he was in Konoha or if they had any qualms about severely injuring or even killing other genin to pass. Takuma suspected that Shino was somewhere observing, using his insects as spies in the dense canopy. The young Uchiha hoped that if anything severe were to happen, the jonin proctor would step in and defuse the situation...that was his hope.

Honami stopped abruptly and Takuma over shot her and landed on the tree limb ahead. Honami's eyes darted around and she glanced over to Takuma. From her worried look, Takuma could only assume one thing. They were being followed. Shōgo closed in on Honami and looked at Takuma, flicking his eyes upward. The Uchiha nodded and quickly ascended into the trees. Honami and Shōgo then darted forward, away from the direction they were going. Takuma hid in the trees and waited. Within a few moments, three figures were following close behind Shōgo and Honami. Takuma narrowed his eyes.

From the headband insignia on the bicep of one of the shinobi, he could tell that they weren't from any village he had any knowledge of. The strange incomplete downward arrow confused the Uchiha, nevertheless, he silently pursued them, dropping to a branch and pressing his advance. Takuma drew two kunai from his pouch and twirled them in his hand. Narrowing his eyes, the young Uchiha focused and honed in on his targets. He didn't want to throw his knives to kill or maim, but he wouldn't tolerate his team being followed. With a quick toss, Takuma's kunai connected to the tree ahead of the three mystery genin.

And to his shock, they turned on him quickly.

The shinobi nearest to the back performed several quick handseals and a strong gust of wind barreled towards Takuma. Instinctively, the Uchiha made a quick handseal and breathed in and quickly out.

A ball of flame burst from Takuma's mouth, enhanced by the wind nature chakra of the mystery genin. The enemy squad wasn't stupid or slow on their feet and dodged quickly out of the way of Takuma's jutsu. Now, the Uchiha found himself engaged in a three on one battle. Takuma flipped backwards as one of the genin crashed down in front of him with a large sword. A smaller kunoichi leaped from his shoulders, throwing several shuriken and kunai at Takuma. Quickly, Takuma deflected a few with his own kunai and skidded back on his heels.

With quick handseals, the Uchiha gathered chakra to his chest again. " _Katon: Hōsenka no Jutsu_!" The jutsu was only a distraction to distance himself from the enemy genin. The miniature fireballs scattered through the trees at random. The screen proved successful and Takuma dropped to the tree trunk, activating the chakra control in his feet to walk on the wood.

Something felt off though. Takuma was fighting three shinobi, but it felt as if he was only fighting one. Suspicion crept into the Uchiha's mind and he frowned. If he was being tricked, there was only one way to find out. He'd have to attack to kill.

Takuma took in a deeper breath and charged his chakra. He climbed the tree trunk quickly and drew kunai from his pouch. A quick handseal created a single shadow clone and Takuma's clone transformed into a metal ring. Takuma threw the ring into the air and let out another grand fireball from his mouth, shielding the metal ring from the view of the three shinobi. He watched them dodge out of the way, leaping to Takuma's flanks. At that moment, Takuma's clone turned from a metal ring into a human shape.

The three genin stared around in shock. Takuma smirked as he and his clone drew kunai and shuriken from their pouches and threw into the killzone. Only one of the enemy genin attempted to dodge. The other two were pierced by the kunai and fell to the floor. They didn't crash to the ground. Instead, they splashed when they hit the forest floor.

 _Water clones_ , Takuma thought. His clone jumped to the downed genin and held them down. The original Takuma leaped down to the genin, a girl with black hair and blonde streaks. Her eyes widened when she saw him and she attempted to fight off his clone. She appeared more frantic than Takuma had expected.

"D-don't hurt me, Uchiha," she said, in a mixture of fear and venom. "I've heard all about you and your father!" Takuma frowned and leaned down to the girl. His normally calm demeanor was broken at the implication that something negative was said about his father.

" _What_ have you heard about my father?" Takuma asked, in a deep cold tone that was eerily similar to the voice that he had heard his father use when he was flexing his power to weaker or younger shinobi. It mostly succeeded and the girl blanched. She looked away and down to the ground.

"Nothing..." Her eyes remained low. "I-I just didn't want you to..."

"Hurt you?" Takuma inwardly rolled his eyes. "You don't insult someone that you don't want to hurt you," the young Uchiha said. "Besides, my goal wasn't to hurt you, just to distract you from following my team. But somehow, you deceived me." The girl smiled proudly.

"I know," she replied. She was very happy at her feat, Takuma noticed. But, if her teammates fought as poorly as she did, Honami and Shōgo would've handled them fairly easily by now. Takuma's clone disappeared and the young Uchiha felt his chakra return to him. The genin girl blinked and slowly rose to her feet. Even if she fled, she wouldn't get far. Shōgo was on the tree meters from them.

"Ah, you got her, huh?" he asked. He smirked at the girl. "Nice little trick you pulled. Your teammates created a clone of you in their pursuit of us and I'm guessing you made two water clones?" he said. The genin girl stared wide-eyed at him and then frowned. Shōgo nodded. "Seems I was correct." Takuma looked down at the genin girl and saw that she had a worried look on her face. Shōgo noticed it too. "You're teammates are fine, but fooling with a Hyūga prodigy left them a tad bit incapicitated. Safe, but unable to move."

The genin girl breathed a sigh of relief. "That's...good," she said softly. She then looked from Takuma to Shōgo. "What are you going to do to me?" Takuma narrowed his eyes as he looked at the girl and weighed his options. They could try to incapacitate her and leave her completely out of the contest as well. But there wasn't really a need for that. With two of her partners defeated in only a way that a Hyūga could reverse, she wasn't a threat.

"Nothing," Takuma said calmly. "Your team is basically defeated at this point and only teams of three are allowed to proceed." The genin slowly nodded, seeming to understand. She sighed softly and shook her head. Seeing her dejected, Takuma's heartstrings were pulled and he attempted to be more friendly. "My name is Takuma." he said. Shogo glanced over at Takuma, paused and then cleared his throat.

"Shōgo," he said. The genin girl very lightly smiled.

"Shiori...from Takigakure," she replied. A bulb went off in Takuma's head. Waterfall Village. That explained why he hadn't heard of them. They had Head Ninja, but no Kages. Takuma dipped his head.

"Well, it was nice meeting you, Shiori. Maybe, we'll see you again?" he said. Shiori nodded and Takuma took off into the canopy with Shōgo. The orange-haired boy was at Takuma's side in a few moments and he gave him a considering eye. Takuma smirked. "What?" he asked. Shōgo shrugged.

"It was nice of you to show mercy. I doubt any of our enemies would do the same for us," Shōgo said. Takuma raised an eyebrow.

"They're not necessarily our enemies. It's a competition, not a war," the young Uchiha replied calmly.

"Whatever you say. We just have to be q-"

A loud noise blared through the forest and the two boys stopped on a tree branch. They exchanged glances as the noise finally fizzled out. With a jolt, Takuma realized that that had been the very first siren. He looked at Shōgo.

"How long has it been since we've been out here?" he asked quickly. Shōgo paused and shook his head.

"I don't know. At the most, ten minutes," he replied. Takuma frowned. That time had gone by much too fast for his comfort. They still had to get their scroll. Honami had been alone for far too long.

"We need to move," Takuma said. He ejected chakra from his feet and propelled himself forward. "Where's Honami?" he shouted back.

"Another thirty yards!" Shōgo replied. Takuma flipped from branch to branch and leaped upward. Shōgo followed below. "Down here," he said, diving down to the forest floor. Takuma dove after him and landed on the ground, causing a pile of leaves to fly up. When he looked around, he didn't see Shōgo.

Then he did.

They were being held captive by two shinobi from Kumo. When Takuma turned, he saw the boy that he thought was Shōgo transform into a taller boy with wavy bluish-black hair. From his back, he drew a long, thin steel sword and held it against Takuma's throat.

"Fell right into our trap like a good little green boy," the shinobi said. Honami and Shōgo strained against the other two shinobi holding them, but to no avail. They looked a bit roughed up. Takuma narrowed his eyes and looked back fractionally at his captor.

"What do you want?" he asked. The wavy haired boy frowned.

"The scroll is sealed behind a chakra barrier that apparently can only be broken through by a specific elemental nature. Fire." He leaned his sword further against Takuma's neck and pointed it at Shogo. "Although they were whispering to each other while discussing this information, we heard everything. They did a good job fighting those other rookies from the Waterfall Village, but against us, they weren't any match at all," the wavy haired boy laughed. He then added, "What you're going to do is use a fire jutsu to break through that barrier."

Takuma remained stubbornly defiant. "And if I refuse," he said in a low voice, again echoing his father's voice. The wavy haired boy chuckled.

"Well, first, my teammates will kill your friends. Then, if that doesn't get you to do what we want, I'll start taking toes," the wavy haired boy replied. Takuma almost scoffed, but remained silent. His next move had to be quick. If this wavy-haired Kumo genin wasn't bluffing, Takuma didn't want to see his friends hurt. However, he was an Uchiha and he wasn't about to back down.

"You're a fool." Takuma's words struck a nerve. The wavy-haired boy's sword left his neck briefly and the Uchiha ducked. Kunai flew from his hands towards Shōgo and Honami's captors. The Kumo genin jumped away and Honami and Shōgo were freed. Takuma turned on the wavy-haired boy and kicked him square in stomach. The genin slid across the ground and sucked in air.

"You little Uchiha twat!" he yelled. The boy raced forward and swung his swords at Takuma's head. The metal sang as it passed Takuma's ear and the Uchiha boy bounced backwards and juked. Takuma imagined having the Sharingan and the ease which he'd be able to predict this boy's movements. It made him sad then filled him with pride when he realized, he didn't even need the fabled eyes of his forefathers for this.

The wavy haired boy continued to press Takuma, swinging his swords with savage precision yet Takuma was nimble enough to weave out of the way. In frustration, the wavy-haired boy kicked up dust and leaves from the ground. Takuma was temporarily blinded but his instincts told him to move backwards. The wavy-haired boy sliced through the dirt and then twisted his face when he realized that Takuma was out of range. He glared at Takuma.

"Where are your eyes, Uchiha? Show me your Sharingan!" he taunted. Takuma felt pressure in his chest, anger. Until he realized, this wavy-haired boy was terrifed. Takuma's enhanced eyes could see him shaking and sweat dropping from his brow. Takuma's face remained still.

"I don't need the Sharingan to beat you. That's already been done," he said. That set the Kumo genin off. Suddenly, water formed around his hands and stretched over his swords, extending their reach. In his rage, the Kumo shinobi burst forward, swinging his water sword at Takuma. The Uchiha prepared to move, but the water changed direction and wrapped around him. The tip of the water sword formed a hook that buried into Takuma's side. The boy's eyes squeezed shut as he was lifted from the ground and thrown against a tree.

Takuma twirled until the back of his head smacked the tree and he collapsed on the ground. He felt blood trickling down his neck and side. His vision was blurred but he could see the wavy-haired boy growing closer. Takuma rose to his feet in time enough to roll away from his attack. When the Kumo genin's back was turned, Takuma tried to clear his head. The wavy-haired boy wasn't turned for long but when he looked at Takuma, a kunai flew between them and exploded.

Takuma fell backwards into Shōgo's arms. He carried Takuma backward and Honami leaped in front of them, taking up a Gentle Fist stance. The other two Kumo shinobi approached from behind. Takuma coughed and staggered to his feet. His head still pounded. He needed to be at his best. The Kumo genin were older and stronger than they were and currently, they were simply fighting a battle of attrition. Takuma's own chakra reserves were depleting and his team was already hurt from their earlier encounter. His inherent stubbornness gave him enough resolve to brandish a kunai and grit his teeth. The Kumo genin closed in further on them and seemed prepared to attack.

" _Gatsūga!_ " a female voice howled. Before Takuma knew it, the two Kumo shinobi behind he and Shōgo were smashed by a spiraling pair of what he thought were cyclones. In the next moment, a boy with dirty blonde hair jumped beside Honami and another boy with long dark brown hair came to her side. He dropped into a similar Gentle Fist stance and Takuma's eyes widened in shock.

It was Mimi, Zesshumaru, Juusei...and Hajime. The Hyūga boy didn't regard Honami at all, instead looking directly at the wavy-haired Kumo genin.

"If you want to make it through this test alive, leave," Hajime said. The wavy-haired boy stepped forward as if he was going to challenge Hajime, but he stopped when Mimi and Zesshumaru stepped forward. His eyes went from person to person before they locked onto Takuma, Honami and Shōgo. His teammates limped towards him and panted. The Kumo genin frowned.

"My name is Kisen Totsunyū. Remember it because I will see you in the next round," he said. In a puff of smoke, the Kumo genin disappeared. Hajime and Honami held their position before the suddenly eased up.

"They're gone," Honami said. Hajime snorted.

"Obviously." He then turned to his team and nodded. "We're finished here. Let's find our way back to our tower," he said. Takuma frowned.

"Wait!" he shouted. Hajime paused and turned to face him.

"What is it?" he replied. Before Takuma could reply, the siren sounded again. The Uchiha shook his head. Had it really been ten minutes again? Hajime exhaled sharply. "The siren range quicker this time. Half the time of the first. Ten minutes. Then five, just now. That means..."

"The next siren rings in two and a half minutes," Shōgo said. Hajime gave a curt nod.

"Exactly...so if you'll excuse us..."

"Why did you come and help us?" Takuma asked. Hajime's eyes paused on Honami.

"I wish to personally show the world that an impure, half-bred Hyūga cannot stand up to one of the purest blood and," he looked at Takuma, "that the Uchiha have been misplaced as the strongest clan in Konoha. If you were to lose here, I'd never get the opportunity. Now," he tilted his head to the chakra barrier. "you might want to hurry and get that scroll." Team Konohamaru disappeared silently into the trees.

Takuma, Shōgo and Honami exchanged glances for a few seconds.

"What a noble dick..." Shōgo muttered. Honami nodded and Takuma couldn't help but agree. He was thankful Team Konohamaru had arrived when they did, otherwise, he and his team would've been severely injured or killed. But, it didn't mean he liked him at all. The main thing now was getting past the barrier and retrieving the scroll.

"Show me where the scroll is. We have to hurry," Takuma said. Shōgo nodded and leaped into the tree. Takuma followed him and they stopped at the top of the tree. Shōgo nodded at the barrier. It was small and cyndrical, only large enough to contain the scroll. It was also placed precariously on the tip of a branch. Takuma looked at Shōgo. "How do you know that this barrier needs fire natured jutsu?"

Shōgo smiled. "It doesn't. I lied to them." Takuma gawked.

"What?" Shōgo nodded.

"The barrier isn't chakra-based, at least not of the elemental sort.. There's just a weakness on the side that requires a stronger chakra than mine. There was a five-point sequence that Honami unlocked. I just need you to coat your hand in chakra and reach in and get it."

Takuma's confusion slowly faded and he jumped to the scroll and focused chakra to his hand. "So, you purposely told them through whispers the barrier required a fire elemental nature so that the Kumo ninja would find me?" The Uchiha grabbed the scroll and the barrier faded away. The two Konoha genin descended from the canopy.

"Yeah. Honami knew we were being followed after the first three genin attacked us so, we talked a bit louder than usual about the barrier. Uchiha are known for their fire based techniques and you're quite obviously an Uchiha, so..." Shōgo smirked. "It was easy."

Takuma didn't know whether or not he was happy or scared of Shōgo's intelligence. If his friend had any kind of talent with jutsu, he'd be a terror to face.

Honami was waiting for them at the base of the tree and glanced over Takuma's body with her Byakugan. "Doesn't seem like you're hurt too badly," she said. Takuma shook his head.

"I'm fine, but we need to hurry," he said. "We probably only have a minute or so left." Honami and Shōgo nodded and Takuma led them forward. He glanced back at Honami. "Did our tower have anything specific about it? Chakra related or physically?" Honami blinked for a few moments and then nodded.

"Yeah, I think there was a crack on the right side. Our chakra residue  _might_ still be there but the outward appearance of our tower is the main thing we can go by," Honami replied. Takuma dipped his head.

"Which way?" he asked.

"Straight, east," Honami said. Takuma jumped as quickly as he could to the east, ducking underneath low-hanging branches and weaving past vines. In the distance, he heard other genin clashing and screaming. There was a roar, probably from a large animal. Takuma breathed a soft sigh of relief that they hadn't encountered one of those.

As they continued through the trees, Takuma could make out the shape of their tower. A smile slowly crossed his faee. They were mere meters away from passing through to the final stage of the exams. The Uchiha turned to his teammates and chuckled.

"We're almost there. Just a little bit further," he said. Team Sasuke bounded forward for several moments longer until they finally landed in front of the elevator that climbed to the top of the tower. Takuma sighed softly and he, Shōgo and Honami approached the elevator door. Takuma held the scroll up to the panel, but nothing happened.

"Hold on," Shōgo said. "I think there's a passcode or something," he said as he looked around. His face slowly fell into confusion. "What the hell?"

"We can't open the elevator?" Honami asked. Her pale eyes looked to Takuma then to Shōgo. "How are we supposed to get back?" Takuma shook his head. This couldn't be happening. There had to be some sort of explanation.

"Are we supposed to remember what Shino did to unlock the elevator?" he asked. Shōgo rubbed the back of his head.

"I do. He used a pass-code on a panel, but there's nothing like that down here," he replied. Takuma blinked and felt an uncomfortable feeling seep into his chest. What was happening? They had retrieved the scroll, one of only four. And they had made it back before the final siren. What was the catch? Had there been something they had missed?

The third siren rang out throughout the forest, but this frequency was higher. Takuma held hiss ears and Honami fell to her knees. Shōgo mouthed something inaudible and squeezed his eyes shut. Takuma grabbed his teammates and pulled them further into the forest. The feeling in his chest didn't leave, now, he saw why.

Their elevator exploded, sending shards of glass and metal into the trees and forest. The siren faded and Takuma looked up through the bushes. The tower still stood and was relatively undamaged but their way of getting back was destroyed. Takuma looked at his teammates. "Is everyone alright?" he asked.

"Yeah," Shōgo replied. "My ears are ringing."

"Same. I don't think I took any shrapnel," Honami said. Takuma nodded and sighed. He heard other explosions around the forest. Thirteen explosions in sequence. And only thirteen.

"I...I don't think ours is the only tower," Takuma said. Honami frowned.

"What's happening?" she asked. Takuma shrugged. Shōgo groaned.

"Something horrible, I guess." Takuma rubbed the back of his head and leaned against a tree. Whatever was happening, they had the scroll. Takuma could only hope that that actually meant something. There was a slight whine over the intercom and Takuma looked up. Shōgo and Honami huddled closer to him as Shino began to talk over the speakers.

" _Your mission has taken a turn. Your designated way of escape has been compromised. Those of you with scrolls must make it to the last remaining tower. Good luck."_ His voice ended. Takuma rubbed his face.

"Great," he said softly.

"You're sorely misinterpreting the definition of the word, 'great'," Shōgo replied with a small chuckle. Honami moved her red hair from her face.

"The last standing tower. Where is it?" she asked. Takuma shrugged.

"I heard explosions in sequence. I think it went clockwise, starting with ours."

"Which makes us twelve o'clock, or rather, three since we're to the east. The last tower would be four o'cock. So, it can't be that far from us," Shōgo said. Takuma nodded and rose to his feet.

"Ok," he said. "The sooner we get to the tower and inside, the better off we'll be," he said. Takuma didn't know how many times he had said this. But, he did know that he was growing more nervous with every passing moment. Teams that had previously thought they were defeated would be coming for them with a hunger that Takuma didn't want to see. The tower would only be a few moments away if they hurried.

Team Sasuke rose to their feet and opted to take the ground, instead of traversing through the trees. Honami's guided them, away from most of the sounds of combat. Takuma could hear genin screaming at each other. Stealth had been abandoned now. Things had descended into madness.

"I see it!" Honami exclaimed. Takuma nodded and smiled.

"Me too." The last standing tower was distinctive with a symbol carved onto the side...not carved.

"Those are insects," Honami said with a tinge of disgust in her voice. "They're forming the kanji symbols for 'conclusion'." Shōgo shuddered.

"That's a lot of freaking bugs." Takuma chuckled. It didn't matter now. They were almost there now.

A massive figure burst through the bushes, roaring. Takuma immediately recognized it as a bear. The ursine monster raised a paw larger than Takuma's upper body and swiped at the genin. Honami elegantly glided away, Shōgo rolled and Takuma flipped. The creature had now maneuvered its way in between Team Sasuke and the final tower. Takuma was tired now and Shōgo looked weary. even Honami didn't look at all ready to fight a bear. The beast growled, drool dripping from its mouth. It lumbered forward and then rushed them.

Twins hit the bear with a kick and splashed into water that temporarily blinded it. Takuma turned and his eyes widened. It was Shiori from Taki.

"Don't stare at me, Takuma!" she yelled. "I'll hold him off." Takuma continued to stare until Shōgo grabbed his arm.

"Let's get the hell out of this place, Takuma!" he said. Takuma nodded and then looked back at Shiori. The girl rolled her eyes.

"Go!" she screamed.

Takuma did as he was commanded, only barely mouthing a "thank you" as he ran to meet his teammates at the elevator. Shōgo typed in the code that Shino had used and their elevator ascended. Another came down, passing them. Takuma could no longer see Shiori or the bear. The Forest of Death disappeared and Takuma leaned back against the glass in the elevator. He looked at his teammates who were looking at him with quizzical expressions.

"Who was that?" Honami asked. Takuma thought he heard a small bit of...anger in her voice. The Uchiha shook his head.

"A genin that I spared. I guess she was returning the favor," he explained. Honami slowly nodded and turned her glance away from him. Shōgo looked at Honami and then to Takuma. Then, his eyes went back to Takuma.

"Well, I thought she was cute," he said.

* * *

**Please Review!**


	13. Beautiful Doubts

As the elevator ascended up through the tower, Takuma could feel his heart pounding hard in his chest. His body ached from minor wounds that dripped with blood and dirt caked other portions of his skin. But, he was absolutely elated. Honami and Shōgo seemed to feed off of his energy and share in his excitement. Takuma's orange-haired friend sighed softly.

"W-we made it to the end," he said, in a tone that sounded both relieved and shocked. Honami nodded and pushed her scarlet hair behind her ear.

"Was there ever any doubt?" she asked. Shōgo nodded.

"There was, actually." Before Takuma could chime in, he felt the elevator stop with a click and a hiss. Slowly, the Uchiha turned. He glanced at his two teammates and then at the opening elevator door.

Only four jonin instructors, who gathered in a cluster at the center, populated the circular room. This initially shocked Takuma and he glanced towards his father who beckoned him forward with a shift of his eyes. Honami and Shōgo flanked Takuma as they walked toward his father.

"You've made it back in one piece," his father said with only the slightest glint of humor in his voice. Takuma felt himself smile. He looked around

"Where are the other jonin?" he asked. "Did they get sent away?" Sasuke dipped his head.

"We could see some of the action out of the window. Whatever progress was made, Shino informed us of. By the time the first phase had ended, most of us were fairly certain who was coming back."

"So, Shino-sensei sent the jonin to go get their students that didn't make it?" Takuma asked. When his father once again dipped his head, Takuma tried to imagine how those particular conversations could've played out, only for the sound of two more elevators opening to draw away his attention. Takuma didn't know what to expect when he turned. However, his heart sank when he saw Hajime leading his team off of the north elevator.

The Hyūga's pale gaze immediately seemed to shift to Takuma and under those piercing eyes, Takuma could feel himself being looked through. It unnerved him.

Two more elevators opened and Takuma saw a Suna team exit one and then the Kumo team that he and his squad mates had encountered earlier in the day. The wavy-haired boy that had attempted to kill them earlier eyed Takuma and smirked. Shōgo frowned but kept quiet. After the genin got their teacher's side, Shino moved to the center of the room. He didn't make a sound but his mere presence caused everyone to turn and pay attention to him.

"Congratulations to the twelve of you for advancing past the second phase. Now, we enter phase three. The tournament will take place two weeks from now in the stadium where both the citizens of Konoha as well as shinobi from various villages will observe you. There will be three rounds and each match's participants will be randomly selected." Almost on cue, an electronic screen lowered behind Shino. When it had finished extending, Shino pressed a button and random names appeared on the screen in rapid order. He then pressed the button again and the names stopped.

Takuma's eyes widened as he read the first two names.

_Takuma Uchiha vs Hajime Hyūga._

His heart dropped as he turned to look towards Hajime. The Hyūga's face was a smug, confident smile. Takuma's mind seemed to exit his body as he drifted deeply into his own thoughts. He was the first match and he was going up against Hajime. The news slowly settled in his mind, causing him to completely blank out on the rest of the announcements until he heard Shogo audibly gasp when Kisen's name flashed across the screen next to his.

Takuma quickly read the rest of the names to see who Honami was facing and was relieved to see that Mimi Inuzaka was her opponent. The girl wasn't a pushover by any stretch of the imagination but Takuma was fairly confident in Honami's ability to defeat her.

Still, he had deep seated doubts about his own ability to face his challenge. All Takuma could imagine was ways that Hajime could beat him. As Team Sasuke left the building, Takuma again caught sight of Hajime. The Hyūga looked as if he mouthed "Good luck" before he turned and walked away with his team. Takuma's mind wandered as his feet led him behind his father. The Uchiha was so lost in thought that his body was essentially on autopilot on his way out of the Forest of Death observatory. It wasn't until he was walking along the path with his father after they split from Honami and Shogo that he snapped out of it.

"Father?" Takuma asked. Sasuke Uchiha's onyx eyes looked down at him.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Will you train me for my fight against Hajime?" Takuma paused before adding, "I'm not sure if I can actually beat him." Sasuke was silent for a few moments as they walked before he answered.

"No." Takuma was taken aback and almost stopped in his tracks. His father noticed. "I intend to train Shogo. He's most in need of some pointers. Any advice I could give to you in regards to your match against the Hyūga boy would be practically useless because you don't yet have a Sharingan," he said. Though his father's answer was rational and his tine wasn't severe, Takuma felt a strong, pinching pang of hurt and disappointment. It felt as if his father was abandoning him. Though the logical portion of Takuma's brain registered this as an exaggeration of the facts, his emotional side couldn't let the notion go.

"Then what am I supposed to do? Go out there and lose?" Takuma asked. His voice was uncharacteristically raised and he flinched when his father turned and loomed over him.

"If you decide to simply give up because you don't have me as a handicap trainer then do as you wish. However, if you pride yourself as an Uchiha, as a shinobi, you will study your opponent. Read, plan and execute. If you lose after that, fine. I'd rather you be a disciplined loser than a spoiled whiner," Sasuke growled. Takuma shrank. He heard his father sigh and felt the man's index and middle finger touch his forehead.

Takuma recognized the intention behind the gesture but it still didn't replace the fact that he  _needed_  his father's help. Nevertheless, Takuma swallowed his pride and gave way to his father's words. He was silent the rest of the walk home, diving deeper into his thoughts.

_I'm weak_. Takuma lamented this and hated feeling this way.

The house was quiet so Takuma assumed that his mother an siblings were either away or asleep. It didn't really matter. Takuma just wanted to be alone. He closed his room door behind him and laid on his bed. His chest felt tight and his body seemed to weigh a ton. He took in a deep breath and sighed loudly before closing his eyes.

The sound of fingers tapping his window caused the Uchiha to lift his head and open his eyes.

Honami smiled from outside. Or at least a clone of her did. The slightly pale version of the redhead lifted a note to the window and Takuma took a few seconds to read.

_Meet me on the Sunset Hill later?_

Takuma looked at Honami's clone and nodded. The clone smiled and evaporated. When she was gone. Takuma tried to contain his own smile but couldn't. Seemed like he didn't have to be alone after all.

* * *

Sosei was exhausted. Happy but exhausted. With his father and Sakura gone, it was up to him to keep Kichiro and Hikari busy and entertained. That endeavor had dragged him out of the house and onto the streets of Konoha. Watching Kichiro and Hikari with an eagle's eye, Sosei had trouble retaining the stoic face of his father. Sosei's youngest siblings were practically inseparable as they played tag. Whenever Kichiro would utilize a substitution jutsu, Hikari would cry foul and run to Sosei. As the mediator, Sosei had tried his best to establish some rules to even the field but he enjoyed watching their dynamics play out naturally.

After hours of the game, Hikari complained about being hungry and Kichiro echoed her in a less bratty tone.

"What do you want to eat, Dakko-chan?" Sosei asked. Hikari pondered on it for a while before shrugging.

"I dunno," she replied. Sosei sighed.

"How about…we go to Ichiraku?" Kichiro suggested. Hikari shrugged again.

"Can I get dumplings?" she asked.

"I'm sure I can work something out," Sosei replied. Hikari smiled.

"Then let's go!" Hikari shouted. "Race you there, Kichiro! No cheating!" Kichiro half scoffed and laughed.

"It's a race, Hika…either you're as fast as me or you're not. Wait…" Before Kichiro could finish his sentence, Hikari was gone. Sosei chuckled as his younger brother took off after Hikari. Finaly alone, Sosei slowed his pace and let his feet guide him to Ichiraku's. It felt odd walking the streets alone although Sosei got the distinct impression that he was being trailed by ANBU black ops even now.

While the exact details of what happened to Kichiro had only been shared with the chunin and jonin, Naruto had begun the institution of sexual misconduct training with all instructors in order to eliminate any form of excuses should foul play be reported. Hensou's death had been a bloody, worthy sacrifice for that cause.

At least to Sosei.

The Uchiha wandered through the streets and found himself at a fruit market. His mouth watered when he saw a green apple standing out on top of the red. He crossed the market to get to it, reaching out to grab it just as another hand did. Irritation and embarrassment overtook him but before Sosei could respond either way, he realized whose hand he was touching.

It was Aori Hasuya.

When she smiled, Sosei felt a bit lightheaded and moved his hand back. He wondered if his face showed any signs of blushing as he gulped.

"Aori," he said. The blue-haired girl smiled politely and dipped her head.

"Sosei, the Lady's Man," she said in a teasing tone. Sosei felt his face flush red this time.

_Fuck_. "It's been a while," he said, trying to regain his cool. "How are you?" Aori brushed her hair back behind her ear.

"It has. I'm doing fine. Just trying to get some things for tonight." Sosei's grey eyes glanced towards the apple.

"The apple part of those plans?" Aori tipped her head slightly to the side.

"No, I just had a craving. Looks like great minds think alike," Aori replied.

"Well, perhaps we could share it?" Sosei asked. Aori laughed.

"Mmm, I don't like sharing." Sosei dipped his hands in his pocket and shrugged.

"Well, it seems we're at an impasse," he said, trying to smile a bit. Aori's eyes looked from the apple to Sosei.

"Tell you what..." she started.

"Aori, are you ready?" a voice called. Sosei raised his head to see where the voice was coming from only for his heart to drop in his chest. A tall, handsome man with dark brown hair approached and when he saw Sosei, he frowned.

_Fuck._ It was Shoheki, Aori's boyfriend.

As if to drive the point home, Shoheki hugged Aori and kissed her in front of Sosei, cutting his eyes towards him after he was finished. The situation made Sosei beyond uncomfortable and he suddenly wanted to disappear.

"Yeah, babe. I was just debating with Mr. Sosei here on who should get this green apple," Aori replied. Sosei and Shoheki locked eyes again and Shoheki raised his nose to him. Sosei's eyebrows furrowed.

"Oh, really?" Shoheki asked. He smirked. "Well, I'm sure the son of Sasuke Uchiha fancies himself a chivalrous gentleman and wouldn't mind you having the apple." Sosei stared at Shoheki and then looked at Aori. From the look on her face, Sosei could tell that she suddenly realized how awkward the situation had become.

Sosei grit his teeth and then summoned the inner strength to calm down. "Of course she can," he replied. Aori smiled at him and took the apple. Shoheki's arm went over Aori's shoulder and he led her out of the shop, passing money to the cashier as they left. As they prepared to cross the street, Aori turned back and Sosei locked eyes with her. The blue-haired girl disappeared with her boyfriend and Sosei sighed inwardly.

_Fuck_. He thought for a third time.

"Ah, that sucks…"

Sosei whirled around and saw Komuji standing in a corner. Sosei raised his head and looked at the ceiling.

"How long?" he asked.

"Essentially the whole time. Hokage's orders." Sosei shook his head.

"So, you saw…" Komuji nodded.

"I'm proud of you. You didn't cause another village-wide incident." Sosei half rolled his eyes. Komuji's hand touched Sosei's shoulder. "But really, I'm proud of you, Sosei. Keep this up and you'll be cleared for duty again in no time." Sosei nodded.

"Alright," he said softly. Komuji tipped his head out of the market.

"Your brother and sister are waiting for you." Sosei quickly gathered himself. He had left them alone. He gave Komuji a nod of acknowledgment and quickly ran out to Ichiraku's.

"Soso!" Hikari's voice carried across the square and Sosei followed it. He parted the curtain and tickled his little sister. The girl giggled and the sound of her laughter purified his mind. Kichiro looked Sosei up and down before he spoke.

"Are you okay?" he asked. Sosei looked at his little brother and then ruffled his hair with his hand.

"Yeah." Sosei then looked at Hikari and smiled. "Who wants dumplings?"

* * *

Takuma told his father that he'd be back in a few hours and Sasuke Uchiha didn't argue. It had taken him a few minutes to get from his house to the spot Honami had designated for their meeting. Takuma's heart had been fluttering since he received the invitation. He saw Honami as the setting sun reflected its golden light off of her bright red hair. The Uchiha approached, making sure to make a bit of noise to let her know he was coming.

"Hey, Takuma," Honami said sweetly, smiling as he sat next to her. Takuma returned her smile before looking at the sunset. "Did you get any rest?" she asked.

Takuma nodded. "Yeah, I basically dove into bed when I got home. How about you?"

"My mom made ne after she put some ointment on some of my cuts." Takuma chuckled.

"Yeah, my mother would've done the same if she had been home. My father's pretty keen on simply sleeping things off." Honami nodded in agreement.

The two sat in a comfortable silence for a while until Honami spoke again. "Are you nervous?"

The question caught Takuma off-guard but he answered truthfully. "Yes," he replied. "Hajime is going to be fighting me with an enormous chip on his shoulder and I don't know if I have what it takes to keep up."

"You spar against me just fine," Honami replied reassuringly.

"But, you're not trying to kill me," Takuma retorted. Honami smirked.

"Maybe I should next time?" she asked. Takuma shook his head and sighed softly. He felt Honami's gaze on him, measuring and searching him. Finally, she said, "Do you think its hard for us to have such famous parents?" Takuma turned to her.

"What do you mean?" Honami shrugged.

"I don't know. The expectations that they and others have of us. Our parents may differ since Sasuke-sensei seems to be pretty strict but I know that because I am the daughter of Lady Hinata and the Hokage, I'm expected to excel and be perfect. Even though both of my parents struggled when they were my age, no one has given me that room for error. And it goes beyond being a shinobi. The way I act, the way I dress, and who I associate with…all of that is judged." Takuma nodded and blinked.

"You are practically a princess," he said matter-of-factly. Honami chuckled and looked at Takuma.

"So, what does that make you? You're the son of Sasuke Uchiha…" she said.

"Yes," Takuma said. "But, I think the expectations of me are very different from the ones people have of you." Honami raised an eyebrow.

"How so?" Takuma had never truly vocalized how he felt on this topic before. Explaining how he really felt had always been a difficult task for him, especially those dealing with his emotions. Exposure made him feel weak and vulnerable instead of collected and in control. Yet, with Honami, he felt comfortable at least trying.

"People expect me to go wrong. Not just me but my siblings as well. All because we're Uchiha. I've…been conditioned to have immense pride in my heritage and utilize people's innate fear of it to my advantage but I don't  _like_ people being afraid of me because of my last name and who my father is."

"But, people respect Sasuke-sensei…" Honami said. Takuma shook his head.

"People respect your father because he's the Hokage but he's a down to earth person that loves everyone. People fear my father because he will burn an entire village to the ground if it means protecting people he loves." Takuma paused and took in a deep breath before continuing. "I want to be as powerful as my father but I want to do it without becoming who he is." Takuma's voice had grown shaky and he felt himself begin to cry but he held it in. Honami rubbed his back.

"I think that's what he wants for you, Takuma," she said. Takuma looked at Honami and smiled. Honami continued, "We just have to learn how not to let who our parents are and what others see in us keep us from being kids." Takuma nodded.

"You're right," he replied. Honami smiled.

"I mean, honestly. When is the last time you did something for fun besides train?" she asked. Takuma thought on the question, painstakingly rummaging through the recesses of his mind for an answer. Yet, he couldn't find anything. The only thing that actually came to mind was…

"Tonight," he said. "Talking to you." He and Honami locked eyes before the red-haired girl blushed and turned away. Takuma's own face went a bit pale and he thought on what he could possibly say to redirect the conversation and make it less awkward. "We should…"

Honami's lips touched his and Takuma froze. Honami seemed to sense it and backed away. Her face was red and she closed her eyes. She began to twiddle her index fingers and shook. Takuma didn't blink.

"I'm s-sorry. M-maybe…" Honami said. Takuma leaned forward and Honami's eyes slowly opened to look into his. The two teens stared at each other for a few moments before there was a mutual mental agreement to move forward. The first contact between their lips was tentative but Takuma's rushing blood made him move closer. A few seconds went by and their lips parted.

Honami blushed again, however, this time, she leaned against Takuma's shoulder. The Uchiha looked down at Honami and then into the sunset. He doubted that he'd ever see something as beautiful ever again.


	14. Not Alone

**A/N: Needless to say, I'm high on creative juices right now. So, you get a quick update. Hope you enjoy...**

* * *

Sasuke loved the sound of Sakura's moan and with the children out of the house, she could be as loud as she wanted. Husband and wife laid in sweaty bliss and on messy, wet covers. Sakura rolled to her stomach, sighed softly and draped her right leg over Sasuke's stomach. Sasuke rubbed her leg, appreciating the muscle tone that years of strength and taijutsu training had given her. When he kissed her, Sakura snuggled closer to him.

"I missed you," Sakura whispered. Sasuke smirked.

"I was only gone for a few hours," Sasuke replied. Sakura shook her head.

"No, you. This. We haven't really been able to cut loose in a while. Between the missions, the hospital and the kids." Sasuke nodded. He was thankful that as his children grew older, they spent more and more time away from the house. This time alone was treasured. Sasuke loved his children deeply but inwardly, he was preparing for the day that they would be gone.

"You just missed digging your nails into my back," Sasuke said. Sakura giggled.

"Among other things." Sakura then raised her head and smiled. "Hikari has a surprise for you when she gets back home." Her tone hinted at something special and it piqued Sasuke's interest.

He bothered to ask, "What is it?" only for Sakura to shake her head and smile.

"Be patient. You'll see." She rubbed Sasuke's chest and the Uchiha let it go. There was a bit more silence before Sakura spoke again. "How did your team do during the Exams?"

"Quite well," Sasuke replied. He had expected as much. "They all passed to the tournament round. I'll be helping Shogo prepare for his match." Sakura drew a circle around Sasuke's nipple with her finger.

"That's sweet. Although, it'll be odd if he and Takuma end up fighting each other after training together under you."

"I'm not training Takuma for the tournament," Sasuke replied. Sakura's finger paused.

"Wait, what do you mean?" she asked. Sasuke sighed.

"Takuma's far more advanced than the genin in his class and he's experienced enough to be able to plan around his abilities for his opponent. Shogo doesn't the skill and that's what I'm training him for," Sasuke replied.

"Sasuke…who is Takuma fighting?" Sakura's green eyes met Sasuke's black.

"Hajime Hyūga," Sasuke replied. Sakura leaned up and stared down at him. The Uchiha recognized the look and he braced himself.

"Sasuke, has it occurred to you that this may be the biggest fight in Takuma's life? The entirety of Konoha will be in attendance for  _that_  match alone."

"I know," Sasuke replied. Sakura shook her head.

"Even  _you_ had Kakashi-sensei to train you for your match against Gaara…"

"Because he didn't want me relying on the Cursed Seal…"

"But you had someone." Sakura stared at Sasuke. "Sasuke, your son needs you," she said.

Sasuke got out of bed and walked around to the other side of it. He ran his fingers through his hair and sighed. "Sakura, I  _can't_. Kakashi trained me not just because of the Cursed Seal but also because we had the same chakra nature and the Sharingan."

"Is that what this is about? You won't train Takuma because he doesn't have a Sharingan?" Sasuke opened his mouth but Sakura continued. "May I remind you that our son nearly lost both his sight and his life when those eyes activated. There is a chakra blockage in his brain that without proper surgical procedure will not go away. If he even tries to activate it again on his own, he will die. He cried in both of our arms because of that and you punish him for it by not training him?"

Sasuke frowned deeply. "This isn't a punishment. I'm saving him. Any advice I could possibly offer to him would relate entirely to using the Sharingan to counter the Byakugan. If I push Takuma and he activates his Sharingan then dies under my watch…" Sasuke paused. He shook his head and said, "I won't forgive myself."

"And if Takuma loses because he didn't get the advice he desperately needed from his father, he may not forgive you, either," Sakura replied. She got out of bed, grabbed her robe and headed to the bathroom. Sasuke stood in his bedroom, alone, and stared at the ceiling.

How could Sakura not understand? How could Takuma not understand? If he trained himself to make up for not having a Sharingan, then it would be far safer for Takuma to head into his match. Sasuke knew that Takuma was smart enough to realize that he wouldn't be able to simply fall back on the Sharingan and he'd plan accordingly. Sasuke was saving his son yet neither the boy nor his mother seemed to realize that.

Frustrated, the Uchiha went to his closet and took his training clothes and sword out. He needed to get away to think. Moreover, to let out the anger that was bubbling in his chest. Sasuke sheathed his sword and was on his way out of his bedroom when Sakura stood in the doorway and folded her arms.

"Where are you going?" Sasuke met her gaze and then gently brushed past her.

"The Spot," he replied. He could feel that Sakura was angry with him but he pushed it to the back of his mind. They had an understanding. Forcing Sasuke to talk would do nothing to mend the situation, especially when he felt conflicted over a particular issue. He needed to mull it over.

Sasuke felt Sakura's hand grip his arm tightly. When the Uchiha turned around, Sakura's eyes penetrated his soul. "Get your head straight. Your son needs you," she said. When she let him go, Sasuke made his way out of his home and headed deep into the forest.

* * *

Kichiro was disappointed to learn that his father wasn't home. He had hoped to see his expression when Hikari breathed fire but he settled on waiting until the next day. Takuma had been particularly quiet at the dinner table, even more so than he usually was, in their father's absence. When Kichiro attempted to speak with him, Takuma gave a quiet, one-word answer and drifted off to his room. Their mother had attempted to talk to him as well, only to receive the same treatment.

The next morning, things weren't very different. Takuma moved with an entirely different energy as he gathered a few things and headed out of the door without a word.

"Dad's not training him," Sosei said in the kitchen as he and Kichiro ate breakfast. Kichiro swallowed his mouthful and raised an eyebrow.

"Why not?" he asked. Sosei shrugged.

"Maybe Dad thinks Takuma doesn't need it." Kichiro rubbed his head. Takuma was strong, that was for sure. But, the Chunin Exams were supposed to be a big event with visitors from other countries coming in to witness the festivities.

"Who is he fighting?" Kichiro asked. Sosei sipped his milk.

"Some kid named Hajime Hyuga. I've heard of him. He's supposed to be a prodigy of sorts," Sosei answered.

"But so is Takuma," Kichiro said with a smile. Sosei cut his eyes towards Kichiro.

" _He_ doesn't think so." Sosei sighed and leaned back. "Ever since he learned he won't be able to activate the Sharingan, he's doubted himself. Now, he is in probably in the marquee match of this year's exams in a Uchiha versus Hyuga match that has never been seen and the only thing that he feels that makes him an Uchiha is his name." Kichiro lowered his head.

"Oh," he muttered. Suddenly, he looked up. "Did Takuma tell you that?" Sosei shook his head and Kichiro continued. "Then how do you know how he feels?"

"It's an educated guess," Sosei replied simply. "Considering what I know about our brother." Kichiro's older brother rose from the table and ruffled Kichiro's hair. "Come on. You need to get to school, kiddo." Kichiro frowned and sighed.

"Can't I stay home with you?" he whined. Sosei chuckled.

"I'm not going to be here, little brother." Kichiro's frown remained.

"Fine." Sosei tapped Kichiro's head with his index and middle finger.

"Maybe next time." Sosei's light smile made Kichiro grin.

Kichiro raised down the path from his house and took to the streets of Konoha. He bobbed and weaved around the civilians walking down the roads, imagining them as flaming obstacles in his way as he was on his way to complete a mission.

"Shitchiro!" a voice called from Kichiro's left. The young Uchiha's brow furrowed. It was Kataki. The boy ran up to Kichiro, keeping pace with him every step. His smirk was repugnant. "Bet you I can beat you to our class." Kichiro sighed.

"Leave me alone," he replied. Kataki leaped over a market stand and came back to Kichiro's side.

"If you win, I'll stop calling you 'Shitchiro'…" he said. Kichiro turned to him and narrowed his eyes. He wasn't sure if he believed Kataki at all but he decided to take him on his wager. Kichiro sucked in a deep breath and darted down the street. He felt Kataki on his heels so he tried to increase his speed and distance himself.

Kichiro leaped to the roof and crossed the gaps with blinding speed. He saw Kataki caught in the midst of the crowd, his face twisted in a snarl. Kichiro then looked ahead and saw the Academy in front of him. The young Uchiha somersaulted from the roof onto the street and burst through the front door to the Academy. He panted softly and looked back a few moments later when Kataki entered. He didn't look like he had even broken a sweat.

Instead, Kataki wore a smile that was without his ordinary smugness. It seemed…genuine. Kichiro was wary as Kataki approached him and flinched when he touched him. Kataki seemed to ignore it.

"Look at that…you beat me," he said. Kichiro narrowed his eyes and moved from Kataki's reach.

"What kind of game are you playing?" he asked. Kataki looked confused, even hurt.

"I'm not," he replied. He then rubbed his head. "Look, I just…I was really mean to you for no reason. And I wanted to do better." Kichiro was speechless. He tried not to believe what he was hearing.

"W-why…?" Kataki placed his hand back on Kichiro's shoulder and smiled.

"I overheard my parents last night. They were…talking about what happened to you. With…" Kichiro moved away from Kataki and frowned. He shook his head.

"Don't." Kichiro wiped his face of any potential tears. "Don't ever talk about that." Kataki looked away and cursed under his breath.

He turned his full body away from Kichiro and entered the classroom, but not before he said, "I'm sorry."

Kichiro stood alone in the hallway, fighting back memories and tears. He had spent the last two months  _fighting_ desperately to get over what had happened to him with Hensou. He tried to erase the man's touch and his voice. Now, while trying to be kind, Kataki had brought those memories back to the surface. Kichiro shook his head and ran to the restroom. He threw cold water on his face and took in deep breaths.

After calming down, Kichiro walked into his classroom. In the front corner of the classroom, the popular crowd gathered around Kataki. For a brief moment, Kichiro stopped and watched him. Whatever story it was telling had everyone engaged. His movements and the way his eyes went large. Then he laughed and made everyone else laugh.

Kichiro recognized then what attracted everyone to Kataki.

Regardless, Kichiro ascended the stairs and made his way to Setsuka. The brown-haired girl flashed a shy smile before she hid the lower half of her face under her collar. Kichiro grinned back at her widely, making her blush.

Kichiro then looked to the front of the classroom and caught sight of Kataki looking back at him and Setsuka. Kichiro thought he saw the smallest sign of jealousy before their Academy instructor entered the room. Kichiro pondered on what he saw before he cleared his head to focus on the day's lesson.

* * *

Two weeks to train. Two weeks to find a way to counter the Byakugan, somehow. That was the challenge that laid ahead of Takuma and he'd have no assistance from his father. That had been the hardest part of this entire situation for Takuma to swallow. His entire life, his father had been there to help better him in a fight. Takuma didn't have a jutsu in his arsenal that his father hadn't taught him. And now, when he needed him the most, his father wasn't there.

Takuma tried to see things from the other point of view. Perhaps, he had become spoiled in relying on his father. Maybe that was the curse of privilege. But that didn't deflect from the fact that his father had abandoned him, again.

How many other times had this happened? How many times had Takuma needed his father to be the emotional anchor of his life only for the man to disappear or only offer to spar. Takuma had learned to express himself through conflict which went against who he internally was. At his center, Takuma had always been passive. He had preferred to make friends and be nice to people while his father had always ruled by fear and intimidation. He had done that to Takuma.

The young boy wrestled to understand how he felt about his father in his moment of weakness. He could never deny that he loved him but he didn't want to be like him. He imagined every son wished to be like their father. He saw it in the way that Honami's baby brother behaved towards the Hokage. Kichiro still seemed to revere their father although the pedestal was beginning to break. And for Takuma, this abandonment may have caused that pedestal to fall apart completely.

But, still, Takuma couldn't deny that he loved his father. What he could admit to himself, through teary eyes, was that he hated himself. He loathed his shortcomings and his failure to live up to what he believed his father expected of him. Sosei's arrival had exposed Takuma's flaws and he had struggled  _daily_ to reach his brother but the power gap continued to grow exponentially. While Takuma had struggled to awaken the Sharingan without defects, Sosei had mastered his and gained the Mangekyo along with their father's Amaterasu technique. While Takuma had been stuck as a genin, Sosei had become an elite ANBU operative under an elite leader.  _Sosei_ was the son that embodied all the Uchiha greatness and fire that Sasuke desired while Takuma could only feign a smile at his brother's accomplishments. He felt invisible beneath Sosei's shadow and that only fueled Takuma's self-doubt.

Takuma had given up training and sat underneath a tree with tears streaming down his face. He had tried to practice some shurikenjutsu but now, the ninja tools laid at his feet. Takuma buried his head in his hands and he sobbed.

"Oh, come on. Your training can't be going  _that_ badly."

Takuma looked up and wiped his eyes. Sosei stood in front of him with a smile. Takuma sniffled.

"Why are you here?" Takuma asked. Sosei chuckled.

"Why shouldn't I be?" Takuma didn't have an answer. He just shook his head. Sosei knelt down in front of him. "I know Dad is busy with someone else, but that doesn't mean you have to train alone," Sosei said. "Besides…I know how the Byakugan works." Takuma blinked. Then nodded. Sosei's former teammate had been a Hyūga.

"Can you teach me how to beat it?" Takuma asked. Sosei nodded and folded his arms.

"Sure. There's one specific weakness that you can exploit but you'll need to be extremely accurate with your weapons," he said. Takuma stood up and exhaled. His spirit was lifting.

"What do I have to do?" Takuma asked. Sosei handed him his shuriken from the ground.

"Just do what I say."

Takuma nodded and Sosei dipped his head. From then on, Takuma's older brother gave him a rundown on the Byakugan from what he had learned from Noboru and Takuma cross-referenced it with the information he had stored from his time teaming with Honami. The Byakugan had a near 360-degree range of sight and gave the user heightened reflexes to avoid attacks. With it, a Byakugan user also had penetrating x-ray vision that could see the chakra pathway in the body, allowing them to execute their famed taijutsu form, the Gentle Fist. Gentle Fist was mostly defensive, relying on counters and chakra shielding which Takuma had gathered from watching and sparring with Honami.

" _Seeing_ your chakra network isn't the issue. It's what they do that should give you pause. Gentle Fist practitioners attack the 64 chakra points throughout your body. With precision, they can turn your chakra off or cause it to rush." Sosei shrugged. "On the other hand, they could just try to hurt you without turning your chakra off. I'd bet Hajime would pull that shit on you."

Takuma reluctantly nodded. If Hajime's psychotic smirk was any indication, Takuma knew he definitely intended to hurt him.

Takuma thought on all the information that Sosei had shared with him. The Byakugan and all its abilities were intimidating. It seemed like it was the perfect defense or so the Hyūga clan claimed.

"There are a few things you can do to get around it," Sosei said. "The main weakness is a single degree of blindness right above the first thoracic vertebrae." Takuma nodded taking all the information in.

"How do I hit it?" he asked. Sosei reached into his back pocket and pulled out three tools. A kunai, shuriken and a thin metal needle that Takuma had never seen before. He looked at it, bemused and Sosei spoke.

"A kunai would be a good choice, however, you risk the Byakugan user seeing it before it hits the weak spot." Sosei raised the shuriken. "You could also try this with enough accuracy but you run the same risk. But with a senbon…"

Takuma's eyes slowly widened and he nodded quickly. "It's thin enough that it can slip in undetected to the blind spot," he said. Sosei nodded.

"Good. And since you're already proficient with shinobi tools, all you need to do is have a plan of attack going in. Or, make it up as you go," he said. Takuma shook his head.

"I'd like to have a plan," he said.

"Figured you would." Sosei folded his arms. "What did you have in mind?"

With that question, Takuma drew a blank. He didn't want to simply spitball random ideas and sound foolish but he honestly didn't know what to say.

"I don't know. Maybe, I could…" Sosei's hand grabbed Takuma's shoulder. Takuma looked up.

"You don't have to have a fully detailed plan of attack now. Relax," Sosei said calmly. Takuma nodded and looked away.

"Okay," he replied.

"Hey." Takuma looked back at his brother. "Before we go any further, I want you to talk to me," Sosei said, his voice a whisper. Takuma blinked.

"About what?" he asked. Sosei sighed.

"Your feelings….about me." Sosei sat underneath the tree. "I know I'm probably the worst person to talk to about these things and we definitely haven't been that close since I got here but I just want to know what you're feeling right now." Takuma was frozen. He saw the opportunity to let loose what he felt about Sosei, their father and himself. He  _wanted_ to tell his brother everything.

But something held his tongue.

"I...I don't know," he said. Takuma sat next to Sosei and shook his head. "I just…" he sighed when the words refused to come. To his surprise, Sosei didn't press him.

"I get it. It's hard to express your emotions when you've been holding them in for so long. I understand," Sosei said. Takuma nodded.

"Okay," he replied. He looked at Sosei and his brother looked up at the sky.

"Whatever happens, Takuma, I want you to know that I'm proud of you and…" Takuma and his brother locked eyes. "I love you, little brother. You're not alone, okay?"

Takuma couldn't hold his tears back this time. He felt himself weep again and he felt Sosei rub his shoulder in a paradoxically gentle but gruff manner. When Takuma had finished shedding tears, he stood to his feet and Sosei stood across from him.

"Now…let's get your training started," Sosei said. Takuma wiped his face, nodded and smiled.

The two brothers fought until the moon pierced through the thick cover of the clouds and cool winter winds sent them running home. When Takuma entered the house with Sosei, he was greeted immediately by his mother and Hikari.

"Taku! Soso! You're here!" the little girl shouted excitedly. Takuma smiled and nodded.

"Yeah," he said. His mother looked at him and Sosei.

"You two look like you just got finished rolling through a thorn bush," she said. "Go wash up." Hikari made a sound of protest.

"But, Mama!" she cried. "I want to show everyone now."

"Show us what?" Takuma asked. Hikari grinned.

"Come outside!" she said before she ran to the backyard. Takuma looked to his mother for approval. Exasperated, Sakura waved for them to go out. Takuma followed his little sister out to the backyard. His father and Kichiro were already outside waiting. Kichiro looked nearly as excited as Hikari had been. His father looked resigned as always. He gave Takuma a look-over when he came outside and then cut his eyes toward Sosei. Sasuke said nothing but Takuma almost sense his surprise. Sakura came to Sasuke's side.

With everyone out on the lakefront, Hikari stepped forward proudly.

"Is everybody ready now?" she asked. Takuma looked around and everyone gave their approval. Hikari grinned. "Okay!" she said. She then turned her back to everyone and looked out over the lake. Takuma wondered what she was doing until he saw her arms move. " _Katon:_ _Gōkakyū no Jutsu!_ "

A fireball, about the size of Takuma, burned across the lake before fizzling out into smoke midway across the water. Takuma was shocked and felt himself clap his hands. He was followed by Sakura and Kichiro. Sosei smiled and Sasuke himself gave a small smirk. Hikari giggled with rosy, blushed cheeks and pink hair bouncing on her shoulders.

Takuma went to bed after his family had celebrated Hikari's performance of the rite of passage technique. His body ached but it was a good feeling, one of purpose and accomplishment. When he slept, Takuma dreamt of the battle to come. His subconscience flashed images of his victory and when he woke the next morning, he prayed to no one in particular that the dream would come. He met Sosei in the same forest clearing in the morning to train and run over tactics, then he came home to shower, eat and read.

He repeated the cycle for two weeks until he woke up one morning and saw the date circled on his calendar. Takuma's heart dropped like a sack of weights in Takuma's chest.

The young Uchiha dressed in a black high-collared shirt and white pants. He strapped up his black boots on and tied his forehead protector on. Takuma checked his pouches, assuring himself that he had all the weapons he had trained with.

Before he left his room, Takuma stared in the mirror. Today was the day. Today was the day where Takuma either proved to himself that he was a true Uchiha or destined to be a failure.

Takuma left the mirror, left his room, left his home and headed to the stadium.


	15. How Does It Feel?

**A/N: And, here we go. Admittedly, I wrote the Takuma vs Hajime fight a while ago when I was really inspired. Now, the full fight has been fleshed out and this chapter has come to fruition. This is the penultimate chapter, so I hope you guys enjoy it and review it.**

* * *

Sosei walked alongside his family down the street to the stadium. They moved out nearly as early as Takuma had left. Kichiro and Hikari were wide awake despite the slightly early hour. Sakura and Sasuke walked together but Sosei noticed something was a bit off between them. They weren't ever particularly affectionate in front of the children but Sosei sensed there was a coldness in the air for the last two weeks. He was almost positive it had to do with Takuma.

The line to get into the stadium was long but Sasuke led the Uchiha family to the front, very nearly bisecting the crowd. The guards at the entrance dipped their heads to him and the family entered the stadium.

Sosei separated from his family after that, only allowing Kichiro to follow behind him.

"Do you think Takuma will win?" Kichiro asked. Sosei shrugged.

"I think so." All Sosei could do was hope that their training sessions had prepared Takuma for his match. His younger brother had been a remarkable student, taking in everything Sosei had said.  _Takuma wants to win, even if it means listening to someone he doesn't really like._  Sosei had thought.

"I hope he does. Maybe then, he won't be sad anymore," Kichiro said, smiling as he looked up at Sosei. Sosei tried to hide his doubts from his younger brother. In all honesty, he didn't think a victory over Hajime would solve  _any_ of Takuma's problems. It might alleviate a few worries and doubts, but it would take more to solve Takuma's mental issues.

Sosei chose a seat in the middle section of the stadium where a few people gathered. He could see the entire fighting field from his seat and with his Sharingan, he was sure he wouldn't miss any action. He activated it for a test, but caught a familiar flash of blue hair on the other side of the arena.

Aori and Shoheki sat a few above on the opposite side. Sosei did his best to not look directly at the young woman and the man at her side. Sosei deactivated his Sharingan and leaned back in his seat. He could feel Kichiro looking at him but when he turned to meet his brother's gaze, the boy turned away.

Sosei shook his head and sighed softly. "Wake me up when the first match is about to begin," Sosei said. Kichiro nodded and leaned forward to rest on his hands. Sosei didn't plan on sleeping. He just wanted to avoid seeing Aori and Shoheki kiss.

* * *

Takuma saw Honami and Shogo at the top of the stairs in the waiting area and observation deck overlooking the field. Honami smiled widely when she saw him while Shogo's face was a bit sheepish. Takuma smiled reassuringly. He didn't blame his friend.

"You look like a badass," Shogo finally said. Honami smirked a bit as if to slyly agree. Takuma blushed at her expression.

"I…thanks," he said. He looked at Shogo. "I hope your training went well." Shogo grinned.

"Meet in the Finals and you'll see," he replied. Honami scoffed.

"As if either one of you is going to me to do that," she said. The three of them laughed and Takuma looked around. He wondered what the first match would be, before silently concluding it didn't matter. Only his match mattered and he couldn't afford to look before or after it until it was over.

The rest of the genin began to file in. The Suna team seemed polite enough but when the Kumo genin arrived, there was a certain shift in the air. The wavy-haired boy named Kisen led them and he smirked at Shogo as they walked past.

Takuma's eyes kept trained to the door as he waited for his own opponent to arrive.

"The stadium's full," Shogo said. Takuma looked out and his eyes widened. It was packed. Nearly every inch of the arena was occupied by a person, tiny multi-colored specks on a beige background. The young Uchiha took in the sights briefly before he looked back at the entrance.

And saw him.

Hajime Hyūga entered the room and he looked particularly intense. He was even dressed differently. In contrast to the normal beige and creams of the Hyūga, Hajime was garbed in dark brown with slight accents of cream. His hair, usually tied in a ponytail, flowed down his back and blended with his clothes. White bandages wrapped every inch of Hajime's arm up to his elbow and more bandages wrapped around his legs to his knees.

The Hyūga didn't even regard Takuma, instead keeping his pale eyes forward. Mimi and her puppy Zesshumaru followed along with their quiet teammate, Juusei.

They walked to the other side of the room, away from everyone else.

"Screw you guys too," Shogo muttered under his breath.

A gong sounded in the air and Takuma looked to the field. His eyes went upward to where three thrones were situated. In the seat to the left, a man with neatly combed red hair sat. In the seat to the right, a dark-skinned man with messy light blonde hair sat and in the center was the Hokage.

Naruto Uzumaki rose to his feet and grinned as he looked around. When he spoke, his voice boomed.

"Hello, everyone and welcome to the Winter Chunin Exams, hosted in Konoha. I'd like to thank my honored guests, the daimyos as well as the Kazekage and the Raikage for joining me as well. I now turn things over to the proctor for the Finals, Rock Lee!"

An orange, green and black flash burst into the center of the field. The shinobi that rose up had a massive grin on his face.

"Hello, everyone! There will be six matches in the first round, followed by three in the second. In the final round, the three genin will face each other until there is a winner. So, without a further ado…the first match is between Shogo Kazuma and Kisen Totsunyū."

Takuma looked at Shogo and his friend didn't seem surprised.

"Let's get the squash match out of the way, right?" he said while stretching. Takuma thought along the same lines. The crowd heavily clamored for exciting matches with known names and talents. But in the end, none of that mattered. He was confident that Shogo had a plan. And he was sure that he'd win.

"You've got this, Shogo," Honami said. "Go and prove everyone wrong." Shogo dipped his head and sighed.

"We'll see what happens." The orange-haired boy adjusted his eyewear and walked toward the elevator that would take him to the fighting field. Kisen crossed to the other side and disappeared behind the closing elevator doors.

In a few moments, both combatants were on the field. Takuma leaned forward on the railing and Honami stood at his side. One of her hands rubbed his back.

"Are you okay?" she asked. Takuma looked at her and feigned a smile. Honami frowned. "No, don't do that." Her voice was soft. "Answer me." Takuma looked away.

He didn't want to admit what he felt to Honami. He wanted to appear strong and if that meant holding back his inner emotions from Honami…

"I'm okay. I'm just nervous," he replied. It was a small fraction of the whole truth but it was still a truthful statement. Honami didn't seem fully convinced but Takuma avoided eye contact and focus on the field.

Rock Lee's hand dropped and he disappeared in a black blur.

And Shogo's match began.

Immediately, Kisen went on the offensive, drawing the two swords from his back. The Kumo shinobi was extremely fast and for an instant, Takuma thought he'd cut Shogo in half. Yet, his friend was able to nimbly dodge out of the way. Kisen's next strike came even faster but this time, Shogo performed a substitution jutsu and left a log in his place.

"Kisen looks pretty upset," Honami said. She had her Byakugan activated.

"Can you see Shogo?" Takuma asked. Honami nodded.

"In the tree."

With a keen eye, Takuma thought he could somewhat make out the blue and orange of Shogo's clothes. Kisen looked around and waved his swords around. Shogo threw several kunai out of the tree and Kisen dodged. Shogo then dropped down and ran toward Kisen.

Kisen made a hand seal and two water clones appeared at his side. Shogo seemed to stop in his tracks and run away. Kisen and his clones followed after. Kisen's main body coated his swords in chakra enhanced water, extending its reach. The water swords turned to whips as they went past Kisen's clones and wrapped around Shogo's ankle.

Takuma's eyes widened as Shogo was lifted into the air and slammed hard into the ground. Honami seemed calm.

"Another substitution," she said. Takuma saw Shogo on the other side of the field. He seemed to be working on something quickly, but one of Kisen's clones chased him off. One of Shogo's kunai was on the ground. Shogo leapt into the air and before Kisen's clone could chase after him, Shogo made a hand seal.

Kisen's clone exploded and evaporated into mist.

 _Explosive tag._ Takuma thought. He almost wanted to smirk. It was a clever trap. Now, Shogo just had to find a way to deal with the other and Kisen's water whips.

Kisen and his clone ran forward together and Shogo once again backpedaled, throwing kunai. Kisen blocked every one that was thrown and the knives landed in the ground. Shogo rolled around, throwing kunai as he went. Kisen's clone split from him and tried to attack Shogo directly.

Shogo raised his kunai and blocked the clone's sword. Takuma heard Honami gasp when Shogo twisted his knife and let the clone's sword graze his arm. Shogo stabbed the clone in the neck and the water clone splashed over him. Kisen's original body raced toward Shogo and kicked him square in the chest. Shogo skidded across the field and landed on his back.

"Come on, Shogo. Get up," Honami whispered. Takuma gripped the railing tightly as Kisen burst forward, raising his water swords into the air. Shogo barely rolled away and launched a shuriken from his pouch. Kisen ducked underneath and came forward.

Shogo circled around Kisen and then backed away. The wavy-haired Kumo genin walked forward slowly. Takuma frowned. What was Shogo doing now? He had thrown all of his kunai away and had blown his explosive tag surprise. Now, his back was about to literally be against the wall. There was no way that Shogo  _didn't_ have a plan…

Takuma made an inaudible gasp and Honami turned to him.

"You see it too?" she asked. Takuma nodded. The sun from skylight betrayed Shogo's plan only slightly but Kisen was so focused on backing Shogo into a corner that he didn't notice.

Shogo hadn't randomly thrown his kunai away. Each of them was connected to an extremely thin metal wire. In the pattern they had fallen, they created a somewhat round shape with a few random jagged edges that covered the entire field. Shogo wasn't trapped. He was the trapper.

But to what end?

Shogo's explosive tags would detonate and put a crater in the ground  _around_ Kisen at best. That wouldn't trap him in the center or really give Shogo any kind of advantage. The wires seemed to connect all of the kunai somehow.

"Takuma, the characters…" Honami said, grabbing his arm. Takuma couldn't see it, but he didn't need to. Kisen coated his arms in water and was ready to slam his water whips into Shogo but the orange-haired boy made a quick hand seal.

The kunai shape lit up with electricity, connecting all the knives. One of the kunai underneath Kisen lit up and sparks traveled up his leg. The Kumo boy yelled out in pain as the shock of all the electrically tagged kunai hit him.

 _Explosive tags...reconfigured for a lightning release._ Takuma was both impressed and confused. How had Shogo managed to accomplish this? He had never shown any aptitude for ninjutsu yet somehow, he changed the chakra nature of an explosive tag? Takuma had never heard of something like that happening.

As Kisen fell to the ground and Rock Lee checked him, Takuma shook his head.

 _Father,_ he thought. His father may have presumed that Shogo had some sort of latent chakra nature potential. Shogo  _had_ seen Kisen using his water manipulation jutsu in the Forest of Death. Shogo's chakra nature turning out to be lightning must've been a coincidence but one that Shogo easily worked to his advantage.

When the match was called, there was a cheer and Shogo nervously shifted under everyone's gaze. Medic-nin came to the field and carted Kisen off while Shogo headed to the elevator.

Takuma turned when the elevator hissed open and Shogo stepped out. He and Honami went forward to greet Shogo while everyone else stared at him.

"That was incredible!" Honami said, hugging Shogo. Shogo chuckled nervously.

"I almost didn't think it would work," he replied with a sigh. Takuma wanted to ask how Shogo had accomplished it but with everyone watching and listening, he decided not to. He assumed that his theory was at least partially correct.

"You're a genius," Takuma said. Shogo shrugged.

"Sasuke-sensei helped a lot," he said. "Even though, it didn't seem like he wanted to at first." Takuma raised his eyebrow as the next match was called.

Two names that he didn't recognize or care about. Out of his periphery, a female Suna genin and a male Kumo genin went down to the field.

"Why'd you think he didn't want to?" Takuma asked.

"Just seemed like it was somewhere else. Didn't seem like he was paying attention at all  _until_ we discovered my lightning release proficiency and I theorized a way to deal with that piece of shit Kisen." Shogo then smiled. "I told him that it was for the Forest of Death." Honami and Takuma laughed.

"Sweet revenge," Honami said. Takuma nodded in agreement and the three of them went to the railing to watch the match below.

Takuma pretended to pay attention to the match but found himself a bit uninterested and worried. The closer the match drew to a close, the sooner it'd be his turn to fight Hajime. He felt his stomach churn.

"I'll be back," Takuma said to his teammates before heading down the stairs to find the bathroom.

He relieved the tension in his stomach and prayed no one walked in after him. When the bathroom door opened as Takuma washed his hands, he nearly jumped out of his skin. In the bathroom, stood Juusei.

Takuma barely recognized him. Juusei had always been a big child growing up but he seemed to pack on more muscle and height than any of the other genin from his graduating class. The boy towered over Takuma.

The two stood in silence for a while before Juusei walked over to the sink next to Takuma. He sniffed and looked at Takuma in the mirror reflection.

"Are you ready?" Juusei said. Takuma blinked. "I don't think you are. Hajime's been focused. He's going to hurt you." Juusei looked directly into Takuma's eyes. "Badly."

Takuma looked back at Juusei and turned away from the sink.

"Did Hajime tell you to come down here?" he asked. When Juusei didn't answer, Takuma frowned. "Tell Hajime not to hide behind his friends and save his trash talk for our match." Juusei loomed over Takuma and stepped forward. Takuma balled his fist, preparing for a fight.

"I'd do what he says unless you want to be forced to concede your match due to injury." Takuma smiled. Juusei turned and saw Sosei. The two were the same height but Sosei's eyes gave a much more intimidating impression.

Juusei walked past Sosei and Takuma's brother watched as Juusei exited the bathroom.

"Are you okay?" Sosei asked, turning to Takuma. The young Uchiha nodded.

"Yeah…just a nervous stomach." Takuma felt embarrassed and Sosei smirked.

"Well, at least if you die out there, you won't shit yourself as much," he said. Takuma laughed. Sosei patted his shoulder.

"Now, if you're done, the second match ended and you're missing your girlfriend's match." Takuma's mouth went agape. He and Sosei left the bathroom and Takuma heard cheers erupt.

The Uchiha waved to his brother and ascended the stairs. When he got next to Shogo on the railing, Mimi Inuzaka and her dog were rushing Honami only for the redhead teen to slam both of them with a focused, penetrating blast of air and chakra from her palm.

Rock Lee called the match after neither Mimi nor her dog moved. Another squad of medic-nin came in to cart them off and when they had cleared the field, Rock Lee stood still.

"Ladies and gentlemen, at this time, we will have a brief, ten-minute intermission after which the following matches will commence…" On a big electronic screen, Takuma saw the faces of everyone that was fighting in the second half. Seeing his face next to Hajime's lit Takuma up with a certain fire.

During the ten minute intermission, Takuma did nothing but rehearse everything Sosei had taught him. Every precision technique with his weapons. Every jutsu he had a plan to utilize. Every Byakugan technique that Sosei had confirmed existed plus the ones that he had seen from Honami. Takuma was calm and collected.

Then the bell sounded, notifying everyone that the intermission was over and that Takuma's match was about to begin.

Takuma's heart pounded in his chest as he stepped into the elevator and it lowered to the arena floor. The muffled sounds of the crowd hit him full force as the doors opened. The young Uchiha flexed his hands and kicked out his legs to keep himself from stiffening up in fear. With a small inhale and exhale, he started his walk out to the center of the arena.

 _Shogo and Honami have already won their matches._ Takuma thought as he walked further away from the elevator.  _I have to do so as well_.

Across the arena, he saw Hajime. When they met in the center of the arena, Hajime smirked. Takuma's face remained as expressionless as he could keep it. Takuma glanced up to see Rock Lee look at him and Hajime before he raised his hand to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen of the Shinobi World! It is now time for the fourth match of the first round of the Chunin Exams! Both of these fine genin hail from Konoha and represent two of our great, historic clans!" Lee pointed to his left. "Takuma Uchiha," he said before pointing to his right, "and Hajime Hyūga!" The crowd erupted in a roar that seemed to cause the stadium to vibrate.

Takuma felt sick.

Rock Lee looked at them again. "This match will continue until either one of you is unable to continue  _or_ I call the match. Understood?"

Hajime nodded curtly and Takuma dipped his head. Lee's hand hung in the air. As he had done for all the matches prior, he dropped his hand arm and yelled, "Begin!" before disappearing in a whirlwind of leaves.

Immediately, Hajime's eyes transitioned to the Byakugan and he dropped to a relaxed Gentle Fist stance. Takuma instinctively leaped backward, springing on his heels to keep his distance from Hajime. His practice with Honami during their time together as well Sosei's instructions had prepared for this portion. He needed to stay out of Hajime's range, at least for the time being. Takuma needed to scope out Hajime's preferred techniques to establish a pattern of attack. Without a Sharingan, predicting Hajime's moves would be quite difficult. Regardless, Takuma had to be up for the challenge.

The boy drew three kunai from his pouch and ran a circle outside of Hajime's attack range. The Hyūga stood unmoving. Takuma knew Hajime could see him except for a tiny area at the base of his neck. Takuma just needed to know exactly how big that area was. He suspected a kunai would be too large for Hajime not to see it but he had to be sure.

When Takuma had finally rounded behind Hajime, he let loose one kunai. Hajime quickly turned and in a stunning display of reflexes, caught the kunai by the hilt. Takuma frowned. He had either been sloppy with his throw or Hajime had seen him. Either way, he couldn't repeat the test again for now.

"Are you finished with your tricks, Uchiha?" Hajime called, beckoning Takuma forward with two fingers. "Come fight me." Takuma stopped with a slide in the dirt and narrowed his eyes. If Hajime wanted a fight, he'd give him one. With a single hand seal and a deep inhale and exhale, Takuma unleashed a large fireball from his mouth that blazed a sharp path towards Hajime. Takuma followed close behind it, using it to shield his presence. The Uchiha rolled to the right as his fireball disappeared and Takuma saw a dome of blue chakra.

 _Heavenly Spin_. Takuma noted. After the chakra dissipated, Takuma burst forward and went on the offensive. He threw one kunai he had to each of his hands and slashed at Hajime. The Hyūga dodged and weaved under Takuma's attacks and attempted to jab forward with two fingers towards Takuma's heart. The Uchiha blocked down and away with his elbow before back handing with his free hand towards Hajime's face. The Hyūga ducked backward then kicked away from Takuma's grip, flipping and landing elegantly away from him.

The two boys stared at each other across the arena and Takuma listened to a small applause from the crowd. The Uchiha felt more confident now. The exchange let him know that his own taijutsu skill could at least hold his own against Hajime's Gentle Fist. It also let him know that he had made a major impression on Hajime. Takuma knew that the boy had been heavily underestimating him and that now, he'd respect his skill more. Takuma had more strategies in his repertoire that he could use, provided he didn't settle on simply trying to brute force his way to victory.

 _Sosei would._  Takuma thought. Even Kichiro had grown towards simply barreling through fights with outright power rather than skill. Takuma had always been a student of the shinobi arts and all of the books and physical training had prepared him for today.

Takuma lowered himself and exhaled. He had to take the fight to Hajime. The Hyūga's primary strength was his defense and counter ability. On the offensive front, Takuma could put up a decent enough fight to keep Hajime on his toes. What Takuma had to do though was eliminate Hajime's Byakugan, if only temporarily. Whether it meant getting Hajime to simply close his eyes or blinding him, Takuma would do what he needed to do in order to win.  _He's a Konoha shinobi just as you are. An asset to the village._ Takuma reminded himself.  _But he's just my opponent now._

Takuma formed more hand seals and took in another deep breath. Multiple, smaller fire balls left his mouth and spewed in random directions near Hajime. Takuma watched the Hyūga dance and dodge around the ones that landed directly in front of him and to his sides. He paid even closer attention to how Hajime reacted to the ones that landed behind him. Hajime did well with the ones on his peripheral but a smaller flame, directly behind him, caught him off guard.

Takuma's eyes widened when Hajime turned to look down and then back up at Takuma. Hajime hadn't seen it. Takuma took a chance and darted forward. The Byakugan could see all around Hajime in a near 360-degree angle but perhaps Takuma had found that small area it couldn't sense.

The Uchiha leapt into the air and threw several kunai down at Hajime. The Hyūga jumped backward then dashed forward as Takuma approached the ground. Takuma rolled into a ball and changed direction mid-air, just barely avoiding a strike from Hajime. When the Uchiha got back up to his feet, Hajime was on the offensive. Every Gentle Fist strike was hard and fast, but Takuma managed to block or dodge most of Hajime's hits.

Every time Takuma directed Hajime's attacks away from his body, he felt uncomfortable. He was leaving his chest wide open much too often and it'd only be a matter before…

Hajime struck Takuma square in his chest, twisting his palm to fire a handful of chakra into Takuma's body.

The Uchiha's face blanched as he was launched away from Hajime and into the dirt. He briefly heard the collective gasp of the crowd as he rolled on the ground. The warmth of both his saliva and blood shocked Takuma. His face felt cold. His body felt numb. Was he paralyzed? His eyes moved upward to stare at Hajime. The Hyūga didn't move forward to press his advantage. He simply smirked.

The realization hit Takuma harder than Hajime's attack. He had been goaded in. Takuma  _knew_ that the Byakugan had a weakness at the base of the Hyūga's neck but Hajime had pretended not to see a small flame below him, knowing that Takuma was all to eager to rush in and fight a taijutsu battle. Hajime had probably been  _playing_ with him on their first scrap.

 _Shit._ Takuma thought in response to his arrogance and not his pain. He didn't know how long he hadn't moved but he got worried when Rock Lee appeared in the ring. Takuma frowned through his pain.  _Not like this._  He thought.  _Not like this._ He could feel his limbs again. His chest was in immense pain but it would not stop him. Before Rock Lee could make it over to him, Takuma stood up and wiped the blood from his mouth.

The crowd erupted again and Hajime's brow furrowed. Rock Lee was gone again and Hajime rushed forward. A quick substitution jutsu bought Takuma some time as he hid behind a tree on the other side of the arena. Takuma panted softly. The pain in his chest inched along towards subsiding. Considering he could still feel his chakra flowing through his body, Takuma presumed that Hajime had once again only given Takuma a taste of his power. A single strike had temporarily shut Takuma's entire chakra network down or so it seemed.

"You should quit now!" Hajime yelled out over the silence of the crowd. Takuma peeked from behind his hiding spot and saw Hajime staring directly at him. "There's only going to be more pain and suffering for you as this goes on, Uchiha. You're not on my level, no matter what the hype around you says."

Takuma frowned. "What hype?" Hajime scoffed.

"Don't act like you're so humble and above it all that you don't notice how people talk about you. How they worship the damn ground you walk on because you're an Uchiha." Hajime pointed at himself. "I've worked tirelessly to bring honor to my clan only to watch you get recognition for barely trying. You don't even have a Sharingan yet somehow, you're the greatest shinobi of our generation? Bullshit. You're a fraud, Takuma. And I'm going to take joy in exposing you to the rest of the world."

Takuma shook his head. He could try explaining to Hajime that nothing he did came without trying. He could explain that his father had been training him since he could walk and that he had been rigorously groomed to take his father's place as head of the clan. He could explain how he had felt like an absolute failure when he discovered that his disease would keep him from ever having a Sharingan. He could also explain to him that all of his doubts leading into the match were crippling. But all of that would be lost on Hajime at this point. This was a fight. The time for therapy sessions would come later.

If Hajime intended to "expose" Takuma, it also meant he wished to extend the fight and torture him. However long Hajime wished to play that game would be up to Takuma.

Feeling his power returning to him, Takuma began to formulate a plan. Kunai were obviously too large to get anywhere near Hajime's defense, just as Sosei had suggested. The point of weakness was as narrow as a needle…and Takuma knew exactly what he needed to do.

Hajime may have only pretended that he didn't see the faint flame underneath him but part of Takuma told him that the Hyūga wasn't that good of an actor. He needed smaller projectiles if he wanted to get to Hajime's weakness. Luckily, he had prepared for this eventuality. Takuma took in a deep exhale. It was time for a second push.

Takuma made two shadow clones and sent them to opposite sides of Hajime. The Hyūga's pale Byakugan eyes shifted from left to right and then glared directly towards Takuma. The young Uchiha glared back and narrowed his eyes. His two clones performed hand seals and immediately, chakra swelled in their chests. Twin giant fireballs left blackened dirt in their wake as they made their way towards Hajime. Once again, Hajime went for a Heavenly Spin and when he did, Takuma weaved together his own string of hand seals.

Multiple fireballs spat from the Uchiha's mouth. Hajime's spin stopped just as the fireballs made their way towards him. Hajime's eyes widened and he dodged a few before he clapped his hands and sent the fireballs flying with a burst of air and chakra from his palm. Takuma's clones darted toward Hajime with kunai knives drawn and Hajime went on the offensive.

With a mixture of elegance and brutality, Hajime dodged one of Takuma's clones and broke its arm. When its grip on the kunai failed, Hajime used it to slit the throat of the second clone. If he meant to intimidate Takuma, he may have succeeded if Takuma hadn't had a plan.

The clones exploded in a burst of senbon, sending the small needles flying in every direction. At this range, all Hajime could do was attempt to shield his face. To his credit, the Hyūga didn't make a sound as the needles pierced his flesh and when it was all over, Hajime laid in a small pool of his blood covered in senbon. If Takuma had missed the Byakugan's blind spot, he had, at the very least, hurt Hajime.

The young Uchiha approached cautiously with a kunai in his hand. Training with his father and brothers had given him enough burns and scars to never trust a still body that wasn't confirmed dead. Takuma heard Hajime's raspy breath and saw his arm move as he attempted to pick himself up. Takuma moved forward quickly upon hearing the Hyūga's breath. Takuma used his foot to roll Hajime to his back.

Hajime looked up at Takuma with pale eyes that appeared to be glazed over. It was a particularly grisly sight. Senbon needles protruded out of Hajime's neck and blood trickled down from the Hyūga's mouth.

"You need to concede the match," Takuma said. "Before you bleed out." Hajime coughed as he seemed to laugh.

"You think that just because you got me once…that this is over?" Takuma frowned. Before Hajime's words could register in Takuma's mind, Hajime's body evaporated in a puff of smoke. Takuma's eyes widened as he realized it was a clone and he whipped head around to locate where Hajime was.

The next thing he felt was a burning pain in the back of his neck and his legs give out. Takuma's entire body went numb and he collapsed to the ground. Standing over him was Hajime, unhurt except for a few scratches on his person.

Takuma didn't know he was crying until the warm and salty tears touch his tongue. Hajime had hit him twice despite his best efforts to avoid them. Despite all of his training and preparations, there was nothing he could have done. Without a Sharingan...

"How does it feel to fail?" Hajime asked. Takuma's dark green eyes shifted upward to Hajime. The Hyūga's smirk was near insufferable. "How does it feel to fail in front of your parents? How does it feel to just not be good enough?" Hajime spat on the ground. "Failure."

Takuma tasted another liquid in his mouth. This time, it tasted metallic and thick. Takuma began to hyperventilate as he recognized the taste of his own blood. His fingers twitched and he felt feeling return to them. He grasped at the dirt on the ground and grit his teeth. The young Uchiha pushed himself back to his feet and staggered backward as he gained his balance. When he looked up at Hajime, the Hyūga's pale eyes went wide and he quickly backed away.

Takuma's eyes saw him back away five paces before Hajime actually had.

There was a collective hush in the crowd that made Takuma uneasy. Hajime quivered then frowned. "Impossible," he said softly.

Hajime moved in slow motion towards Takuma, his hand covered in blue chakra. At least, that's what Takuma saw. A hazy image of Hajime stepped forward to attack Takuma and slowly, Hajime followed his shadow's motions. Takuma dodged under that attack and the one that followed. Hajime tried to hit with another only for Takuma to see it and kick Hajime away. As Hajime slid across the ground, Takuma blinked his eyes and looked around the arena. With his piercing eyes, he could see his father and mother leaning forward in their seats. His father's Sharingan was activated as he watched.

The realization of what was happening slowly struck Takuma. The increase in strength. His  _vision_. He could see Hajime's every move before the Hyūga could strike. And now, Takuma could see a clear pattern. The Gentle Fist pattern. Not only was it so clear that Takuma could predict, he almost felt as if he could  _perform_  it.

Hajime tried an overhand right that Takuma's Sharingan predicted was aimed for his shoulder and the Uchiha grabbed Hajime's wrist. The shock in the Hyūga's face gave way to pain after Takuma kicked Hajime square in his chest. Takuma raced after Hajime's sprawling body, drawing kunai knives into his hand.

Hajime staggered to his feet and furrowed his brow. He licked blood away from his lip and Takuma saw the boy lower into a stance that he was unfamiliar with.

Then the attacks came.

Hajime burst forward and Takuma was nearly taken off guard by his opponent's focus and ferocity. The first two strikes came in quick succession and Takuma's new predictive abilities gave him just enough time to react. The next two strikes came and were faster than the previous. Takuma's eyes whipped around trying to track Hajime's movements.

Then he was hit four times down his left side. Takuma lost feeling in his left arm but still tried to keep moving. Hajime appeared again and this Takuma didn't see him in time. Eight of Hajime's strikes left Takuma leaning.

Takuma whirled around, trying to find Hajime but his vision was blurry. And fading rapidly. The young Uchiha started to hyperventilate.  _No._  Takuma thought. He tried to stay awake only to realize that he wasn't losing unconsciousness.

He was going blind.

He staggered around, barely catching a hazy after-image of Hajime before the world around Takuma went pitch black. Hajime's hits knocked Takuma flat on the ground and this time, he didn't bother to stand up.

Takuma felt a gust of wind in front of him and a pair of hands grab him.

"Takuma? Takuma!" Rock Lee's voice, Takuma noted. "Are you okay?" The Uchiha had trouble forming his words. His lips quivered.

"I concede." There was a pause. Takuma imagined Lee looking at him in shock.

"Are you sure?" he asked. Takuma nodded. Rock Lee's voice raised. "Ladies and gentlemen, Takuma Uchiha is unable to continue therefore, the winner of this match is Hajime Hyūga!" There was a small cheer though that was almost entirely drowned out by a myriad of murmurs that echoed. Takuma scarcely heard the sound of heels hitting the ground and felt hands grab at his body.

"We need to get him out of here now," Takuma heard one voice say. Another voice hummed in agreement.

"And make sure we get Sakura. We're going to need all the help we can get." Takuma felt his body get lifted into the air and the rushing wind alerted him to the fact that he was being transported at a break neck pace. The Uchiha tried to roll his eyes around and see if he had any kind of sight. Except, he couldn't feel his eyes at all. Trying to move his ocular muscles did nothing.

"Shit," one of the medic-nin said. "We need to bandage the sockets, now. He's bleeding heavily." Takuma panted.

"W-what's happening?" he asked. Another voice shushed him.

"Takuma, I need you to save your energy. Don't try to move your eyes."

"Why?" Takuma asked. There was silence and Takuma began to quiver. "What's wrong with my eyes?" he asked. Another round of silence before a brave voice finally lifted.

"They're gone."

 _Gone?_ Takuma hyperventilated until he passed out. The next thing he remembered was the five bleeps of the hospital elevator rising which was followed afterwards by a barrage of voices shouting out orders and directions. The very last thing he heard was his mother's voice, shaking, crying.

"Takuma…stay with me."


	16. White Chrysanths

**A/N: So, here we are at the end of this story. It's been a long journey. About three years of writing and hiatuses but a lot of you have stayed with me and I'm glad. Please enjoy, read and review.**

* * *

Takuma woke up to darkness. He heard the sound of his heart monitor beeping slowly. He tried to move but his body felt so weak and frail that it was a strain to do anything. Frustration strangled Takuma's heart. His heart monitor started to beep louder and faster.

"Takuma," a voice said. Honami's voice. Her hand touched Takuma's arm and the Uchiha flinched at the surprise feeling. Takuma's head went in every direction.

"Honami?" he asked. His voice was weak and course. His throat was dry. "I-I need water…" Takuma heard some shuffling.

"I have a straw," Honami said. "Will you be okay with a straw?" Takuma nodded quickly and the next thing he felt was a plastic straw at his mouth. The rush of water in his mouth was refreshing and after he moistened his mouth, Takums sighed softly.

"How long have I been out? Where am I?" Takuma asked. Honami rubbed his hand.

"It's been three days. You're still in the hospital," Honami replied. Takuma sighed.

"Oh." He shifted in his bed to get more comfortable. His head pounded. "What happened during the tournament? Who won?"

"Hajime ended up winning the whole thing. Only because Shogo and I conceded the second round to come see you," Honami replied. Takuma shook his head.

"So, Hajime is going to become a chunin now?" Takuma could almost see Honami's smile when she answered.

"No, he's not. Shogo and I are." Takuma smiled.

"Good, I guess the Kages and daimyo were impressed with your matches," he said.

"Well, Shogo certainly impressed but no…it was because we were concerned about you." Honami squeezed Takuma's hand. "I'd rather be by your side than fight in a stupid tournament. You're my friend, Takuma."

Takuma sniffled and Honami's hand cupped his face. Her lips touched his briefly before Takuma heard the door open. The sound of plastic rustling and the smell of flowers hit Takuma's senses.

"Yo! You're awake," Shogo said. Takuma heard him walk forward, deliberately stepping a bit harder so Takuma could hear his approach. "How are you feeling?"

"Weak," Takuma answered. He truthfully felt utterly exhausted, like he normally felt after a strenuous training session. Only, this felt much worse. He'd been resting for two days straight, hooked up to IVs and monitors meant to replenish his chakra system yet, he felt worse than he had when he had conceded his match to Hajime.

"Well, the doctors did mention it'd take a bit longer for you to recover. I don't know why though," Honami said. Shogo sighed.

"I don't even think  _they_ know why." There was a pause and Shogo said, "If it has something to do with your chakra system, maybe you could take a look, Honami?"

"I don't know what I'd be looking for. I'm not a doctor." Shogo sighed softly.

"Just check his chakra network. See if there's any fluctuations in the flow," he said.

"But…" Honami started. Takuma gripped her hand.

"Please," he said, his voice a pleading whisper. "Look for me." Honami's hair brushed Takuma's arm, like she nodded.

"Okay." There was another mild pause and he heard Honami gasp softly.

"What is it?" Shogo asked. There was another pause and Takuma got nervous. He started to hyperventilate again and Shogo placed a hand on his chest. "Takuma, calm down…" Takuma's breaths slowed and Shogo asked Honami again. "What is it? What do you see?"

"I-I…your chakra isn't flowing how it should," Honami said. Takuma shook his head.

"What does that mean? What happened?" Takuma asked.

"I don't know for sure. But, normally a shinobi's chakra network is constantly flowing from their core and spreading throughout their body but yours is…" Honami sounded as if she was about to cry. Takuma exhaled sharply.

"Damn it…" he said softly. He gripped his sheets in one hand and then put his hands on his face, only to realize that he had bandages still wrapped around his head. He remember how the medics had been horrified by what they saw and warned him not to try to move his eyes. He was tempted to ask Honami what lay underneath the bandages…

"Takuma! Thank God!" Takuma's head snapped to the sound of his mother's voice and the patter of small footsteps.

"Taku," Hikari cried. She was in mid-sob as she continued to try to speak. "I…was so…Mama!" Takuma heard his mother shush his sister.

"Are you okay?" Kichiro's voice. Takuma tried to smile but he ended up feeling like it was more of a grimace.

"No," he answered. "Not really." Takuma kept trying to turn his head to talk to people. He looked in the direction where his mother's voice last came from. "Mom," he called.

"Yes, love…" his mother answered. Takuma truly smiled this time.

"Have you talked to the doctors? What are they saying?" He heard his mother sigh. After that, he heard his guests leave. Hikari whined a little but the noise faded after the door was closed. A chair skidded closely to Takuma's left. He felt his mother's hand on his cheek.

"Love…I need to be honest with you and this is one moment where I really just don't want to." There was a pause and Takuma touched his mother's hand on his face. It felt extremely cold.

"Just tell me," Takuma said. He heard his mother sob and then compose herself. Takuma's mind began to race. "Tell me, please." His voice raised an octave, unintentionally. His mother rubbed his face.

"Your chakra isn't replenishing itself. Your reserves kicked in yesterday and they've been exhausted trying to keep you alive. We can't blame it fully on Hajime as it seems to be a heightened and more aggressive form of your original diagnosed disease but fighting someone with Gentle Fist techniques didn't help at all. Um…" his mother sobbed again. "It's…we're looking for ways to reverse the damage done. I'm looking through every medical book we have and ordering the ones I don't to be brought here within the day."

Takuma laughed.

Not out of any joyous relief that his mother was doing all she could to try to fix what was wrong with him and not she cared so much about him. He was overwhelmed with so many mixed yet powerful emotions, all he could do was laugh. When he was finished, he ventured to ask another question.

"What about my eyes? I had the Sharingan and then…I just went blind. Now, I have these bandages on. Hell, Mom…I can't even cry," he said. His mother sobbed and sighed again.

"Your eyes…those are a different matter entirely. You…" Another sigh. "You burnt them out. Hajime hit your occipital lobe's chakra point in a way that increased the flow of chakra so much that it burst through the blockage caused by the disease. It redirected the chakra to your eyes and the rest of your body, thankfully avoiding our aneurysm hypothesis, but…"

"What?" Takuma asked.

"Your eyes ruptured. There was just t-too much buildup and…" Sakura stopped. Takuma pursed his lips. "Using the Sharingan in the way that you did in such an intense combat situation did most of the harm. So to keep you from getting infected, we had to surgically remove the dried, ruptured eyes. They're bandaged now with ointment from the Hyūga clan that's fighting the infection vigorously."

Takuma sat back and let the information circulate his brain. Hajime had not only assisted in activating his Sharingan but he had also inadvertently caused his eyes to rupture and his entire body's chakra network to essentially shut down and stop repairing itself. Takuma's own exuberant and zealous use of the Sharingan, despite knowing that he  _shouldn't_ have even been to activate it also led to him lying here. If he had even known how to deactivate it, maybe he would've.

No.

He just wanted to win. He just wanted to stick his foot squarely in Hajime's mouth and prove him wrong. He wanted to show his father and everyone else watching that he was a powerful shinobi, capable of finding a way to defeat the Byakugan without any visual prowess and power of his own. He wanted to prove that even an Uchiha without a Sharingan was still better than any other shinobi and he had ended up with two empty eye sockets to show for his efforts. Hajime had sought to expose him and his failures to the world. To break him. And he had done just that.

With everything processed enough for words to form to his mouth, Takuma asked his last question.

"Where's Sosei and my father?"

* * *

Sosei very rarely spent one on one personal time with his father. He knew that the man was proud of him and his accomplishments and saw himself in Sosei, yet Sasuke Uchiha was always a distant figure who preferred to watch from the shadows and enter the light when he saw fit in order to fix a problem. Traveling with him for the past two days had been a similar experience except this felt much more like an urgent mission than a haphazard bonding trip. Sasuke Uchiha had uttered little more than the same two word phrases.

"Let's go."

"Wake up."

"We're leaving."

"Hurry up."

Sosei had barely been a step behind his father but given the roughness of all his commands, it seemed as if even that was too slow. Sosei would normally complain but given the sensitivity of this trip, he understood.

Takuma had been so close to victory. Sosei had been on the edge of his seat with Kichiro next to him cheering and calling out Takuma's name loudly. Then, Hajime dropped into a stance that Sosei had never seen, learning later that it was a secret Hyūga clan technique. After that, the match was over. Sosei had assumed that Hajime's attacks had actually succeeded in shutting down Takuma's chakra network temporarily. He wasn't prepared for what he saw when he got to the hospital room.

Takuma's eye bandages had been completely filled with blood. Then Sakura told his father that Takuma's eyes were a completely lost cause.

Sosei knew exactly where they were going after that.

He had discovered the Mountain Graveyard when he was looking through the Uchiha clan's history in order to search for a way to save Takuma's eyes. When he had returned home from a night out walking, his father had been sitting on the couch with his Sharingan active and the book on his lap.

"The horrible truth" about the Uchiha lied within the hidden laboratory inside the Mountain Graveyard and Sosei was both eager and afraid to discover  _what_ that truth was. If it could save Takuma, Sosei could only imagine one possible conclusion…that hidden lab had Sharingan harvested from dead Uchiha inside of it.  _Why_ that was a horrible truth was what troubled Sosei. He couldn't imagine that his father had had anything to do with it though as time had gone on and he learned more about his father from other people, there was less Sosei put past his father in his youth.

"Sosei," Sasuke said. "We're here." Sosei looked around and saw a large stone, covered with vegetation with dead trees and a small acidic pool of water bubbling nearby. Half a skeleton from a giant creature lay submerged beneath the dirt. The place seemed untouched but Sosei's father moved cautiously.

"What's wrong?" Sosei asked. His father's eyes and head shifted from left to right. Sosei got the eerie sense that something was off. He instinctively activated his Sharingan. He glanced up at his father and the man's eyebrows deeply furrowed.

A giant fireball infused with the midnight flame of Amaterasu burst forward and encompassed the entire stone. The overgrown leaves burned away and exposed the rock underneath.

Sosei narrowed his eyes. There was an odd heptagram seal over the way. Sosei looked at his father. "That your handiwork?" he asked.

"No," Sasuke responded curtly. Sosei wrinkled his brow.

"Who else knew about this place other than you?"

"Three people. Obito Uchiha, Kabuto Yakushi and Orochimaru. Kabuto runs an orphanage in Konoha. Obito and Orochimaru are dead." Sosei's father sounded confident but Sosei heard a slight tinge of doubt.

"You don't think Orochimaru is dead…" Sosei posited. Sasuke looked at him.

"I killed myself, and then your Uncle Itachi sealed away his soul. During the war, I resurrected the bastard but placed a ten-year time limit on him. I thought he was dead then, but…"

"Then you saw me…" Sosei whirled around and Sasuke followed. Sosei's Sharingan eyes widened.

 _Yashagoro_.

The tall, slender blue-eyed man grinned behind his dark hair that draped over his face like a curtain. His black clothes were new, but retained the markings of the Three Deaths. Yet, he was alone.

"Seems we're missing an Uchiha…" Yashagoro said.

Sosei stepped forward but Sasuke spoke. "You set this seal and you will remove it or I will every inch of you to ash. Every molecule, I will incinerate and I will move on to your surviving accomplices and your safe houses. Nothing connected to you will remain. If you run a country, I will level it. If there is even a child that has regarded you in any level of admiration or respect, I will bleed them to a husk."

Sosei did everything he could to keep his mouth. He tried desperately to believe that his father was bluffing but as smoothly as the words flowed from his mouth, Sosei knew that his father had meant every syllable. Sosei remembered the stories that his mother had told him about his father. How he slaughtered armies, sacrificed friends to satisfy his thirst for revenge. Sosei had believed that that monster had passed away but now, Sasuke's chakra was cold that Sosei literally shivered in his sandals.

Yashagoro laughed. It echoed through the clearing and the man enjoyed himself so much that he gripped his sides. "You know," he said, "You actually may have convinced me to unseal your little laboratory but I think it will be even more entertaining to watch you break that seal after you kill me."

"I'll manage," Sasuke said.

"You won't. The seal becomes permanent if I die." Yashagoro unsheathed his sword. "So, we're at a stalemate."

Sosei looked to his right and saw Yashagoro's sword next to him. His father was next to the man, encased in Susano'o armor. The monstrous embodiment of Sasuke's chakra grabbed Yashagoro. Sosei heard Yashagoro's bones crunch and tear as the Susano'o ripped one of his arms off.

Sosei shook his head. He wanted revenge. Yashagoro and the Three Deaths killed Noboru. They triggered Takuma's disease. Sosei wanted Yashagoro dead.

But Takuma's life had to come first.

Sosei ran forward and stood beside his father as he tortured Yashagoro.

"Dad, stop! Don't you realize that Takuma is dead the second that he dies?" When it seemed as though his father did not hear him, Sosei continued. "You will be every bit as much a reason to blame for Takuma's death as he will be. You have to stop!"

Sosei heard a pop and a crunch as Sasuke crushed Yashagoro's body into a bloody mess in Susano'o's hand. The young Uchiha's eyes widened as Sasuke deactivated the technique, dropped Yashagoro's body and walked towards the rock. Frozen, Sosei could only stare at the ground. Takuma's only chance at surviving twitched as the last spasms of neural commands were sent to his body. Sosei went from being still, to shaking uncontrollably.

"What in the fuck is wrong with you? Do you have any idea what you've done?!" Sosei shouted. His father turned and Sosei felt all anger wash away in a flood of fear. His father's eyes were sharper than the blade that rested at Sosei's throat.

"Have you lost your mind?" Sasuke's monotone voice chilled Sosei so much that he shook. He did not answer. He could not. Sasuke continued, "I read his mind. I know the hand seals to break through the barrier and  _that_  was not Yashagoro." Sasuke gestured towards Yashagoro's body that was no longer a pool of blood but a few shards of broken ice.

Sosei let out a breath that fogged the steel of Sasuke's sword. Sosei didn't move until his father moved his sword away from his neck. Sasuke didn't say a word and moved away. The fear that held Sosei in place subsided enough for him to catch his breath and calm himself. He raised his head and watched his father perform a long stream of hand seals before he touched the stone face. The heptagram seal swirled and then disappeared. The rock shook and slowly rolled away to the side, revealing an opening.

Sasuke turned fractionally, as if to beckon Sosei forward. The young Uchiha followed his father inside. The two Uchiha slowly descended a flight of stairs. The stairway transformed from a hollowed out rock into a dark room. Sasuke looked around and Sosei did as well. When they arrived at the bottom of the stairs, Sosei smelled a strong odor and Sasuke Uchiha paused.

"No," he said softly. Sosei looked around and then back to his father. Sasuke moved forward and disappeared into the darkness that was the lab. Sosei waited at the base of the steps for a while and listened out for his father's call. Impatience and curiosity got the best of him and he activated his Sharingan and stepped into the darkness after his father.

The further he went, the worse the smell became. Then he stepped into liquid. The lukewarm, horrendous liquid touched his toes and Sosei paused. With his Sharingan active, he could his father standing in the center of the room. He was shaking in fury.

Sosei looked around. There was nothing in the room aside from a table. The glass wall was destroyed. Whatever Sharingan were supposed to be in the room, were either gone or destroyed.

"This…this is wrong," Sosei said. "There's nothing here." His breath stopped. "Yashagoro…" Sosei shook his head and looked back at his father. "Dad…we should get back to Takuma." When Sasuke didn't move, Sosei stepped forward.

"Go," Sasuke whispered.

"Dad,  _we_  need to…" Sosei stopped himself and sighed sharply. He was done talking to someone who didn't listen. His brother needed him. Sosei turned and started to the steps. When he reached the bottom, he turned and looked back at his father.

After that last regard, Sosei ascended the stairs and left his father in the darkness.

* * *

Takuma woke up to darkness and thought that the lights were off, forgetting momentarily that he was blind. He licked in dried lips and lifted his hand to the left. He hit something hard that sounded wooden. Takuma hoped desperately that his water was there. He tapped the table until he felt plastic and heard the jingling of disturbed ice. Elated, Takuma grabbed his cup and lifted it, carefully bringing it to his mouth.

"Takuma?"

Honami's voice startled the Uchiha and his water spilled on his chest. Takuma squirmed in his bed and he heard Honami rush over to him.

"Oh my God, Takuma…" she said. She patted him down with a towel. "I should've let you drink." Takuma sighed.

"It's ok," he said. Honami stopped drying him with the towel and there was silence until Takuma heard water running. It stopped and there was more silence until Takuma heard Honami's footsteps and got the smell of her hair as she leaned down.

"Here," she said. Her fingers guided his chin up and he felt the cup brim on his lips. Takuma licked his lips as water fell from the corner of his mouth.

He smiled weakly. "Thank you." Honami rubbed his cheek.

"No problem…" she said. She put her hand back on his hand and Takuma heard the squeak of leather as Honami sat down. Takuma laid his head back on his pillow and did the only thing he could do.

He began to fall into the abyss of his thoughts. In the beginning, it was like a pleasant dream.

Takuma stood in the center of the Konoha Stadium and across from him was Hajime. Rock Lee dropped his hand for the match to begin. Hajime activated his Byakugan and Takuma activated his fully blossomed Sharingan.

It didn't take a series of tests to pinpoint Hajime's weak point. The Sharingan's amazing accuracy enabled him to find the vertebrae and get Hajime to constantly stay on his toes. Takuma unleashed a powerful fire jutsu that he copied from his father. The flame was so powerful that Hajime's Heavenly Spin failed and the fire burned him.

Takuma stood over Hajime victorious, smiling proudly as everyone around him cheered for his victory. His father was proud. His brothers were impressed. Honami…she lathered him with kisses as her pale eyes bore into him.

The dream collapsed into itself as the memories of crashed down into the stadium, breaking it apart. The images flashed lightning and became meteors that buried deep into the center of the stadium. Takuma fell into the sunken hole, grasping and clawing at the grass and dirt as he tried to pull himself up. He reached out for his parents, his brothers, Honami…and no one could save him.

The perfect vision of his life burned to ash, the pale remains of shattered dreams. In this freefall, in this darkness, Takuma was nothing. He had accomplished nothing and he mattered to no one. He was a stiff, rigid husk of the boy he had once been. The happiness and joy he once felt were nothing but faded, hazy hallucinations as if they too were dreams. Takuma's heart sank as he descended through the midnight abyss.

Where were the people that he needed? His father and Sosei had departed, gallivanting to a different country for some secret reason, his mother was nowhere and Honami, despite her efforts, could not fill that hole. Takuma thought he wanted her and wanted to be with her for as long as he could.

And he had been.

Honami could never be with him. Not only was he a failure as a shinobi, he was a blind, withered, diseased boy. Takuma wasn't worthy of her. He wasn't worthy of Honami's warmth, her laugh, her love, her kindness. He wasn't worth spending this time with. He wasn't worth the stress.

He was just…

"…tired," Honami said as she rubbed Takuma's arm. "It's getting a bit late too." Takuma nodded.

"Y-yeah. You should go," he said. Honami scooted the chair back and there was a brief pause before Takuma heard her gasp.

"Wow, it's snowing," she said. Takuma turned his head in the direction of Honami's voice as she spoke again. "Is there anything you need before I go?"

Takuma nodded slowly. "Could you open the window for me? It's…a bit warm in here."

"I don't know. The snow might blow in here. Your room is up pretty high and the wind is gusty. I'll come in here tomorrow and see an Uchiha snowman," Honami said. Takuma laughed.

"Is it snowing that hard?" he asked.

"No, its just flurries. It might clear up, I guess." Takuma heard the sound of the window clicking and felt the cool air as the window slid up. "There you go. Better?" Honami asked.

Takuma nodded. "Yes," he said. "Thank you."

"Is there anything else I can do for you?" Honami was close again. Takuma reached up and felt her hair, dampened and slightly cold from the snow yet soft as feathery down. Takuma touched Honami's face and felt tears form when she guided his hand. For the first time in three days, he could see her face again.

"Kiss me…" Takuma said. Honami didn't move forward immediately. Her finger wiped away one of his tears.

"Takuma…"

"Please," he said. Honami stayed still for a little bit until she came forward. The kiss was everything he wanted and simultaneously, he felt there was something missing. When it was over, Honami rubbed Takuma's face.

"You're going to get better," she said.

 _Lies_. Takuma thought.

"I know," Takuma said.

"I'll see you tomorrow. I'll see if I can find your favorite  _wagashi_ ," Honami said. Takuma smiled. It had been a while since he had had  _hanabiramochi_.

"Ok," Takuma said.

"Stay strong for me," Honami said. She rubbed Takuma's chin. Takuma didn't answer her but he heard Honami leaving. The sounds of the hospital hallway crept into the room until Honami closed the door.

Again, Takuma was alone.

In the darkness, Takuma counted to himself.

Seconds ticked by.

Minutes.

Half an hour. A nurse came and dropped off more water and a small meal. When she asked if he still wanted the window open, Takuma nodded.

He then carefully ate the bowl of soup, blowing to avoid his tongue from being burnt.

Takuma licked his lips. The soup was good. It gave him enough strength to move out of his bed and stand up. His legs shook as he walked but Takuma persevered until he made it to the window.

The wind had slowed up now. When Takuma held his hand outside, he felt that the snowflakes were thick but fell slowly. He smiled. It must've looked beautiful.

Takuma stepped onto the windowsill and ducked beneath instinctively until he stood outside. The cold air was pure and refreshing. Takuma took in a deep breath. A tear ran down his face.

_I'm sorry, Honami. I couldn't be strong for you._

Takuma stepped forward and dropped.

* * *

Kichiro couldn't stop crying. His heart was so low in his stomach that he felt weighed down by it. The pit in his stomach was insufferable. He ran to the bathroom and threw up, hoping that would relieve something in his stomach, but there was nothing. So, he just knelt in front of the toilet, weeping.

Takuma was dead.

A shinobi visiting their wife and newborn son found Takuma lying with his head split open directly below his room. The news had spread throughout the village like wildfire, even more so when the coroners ruled it a suicide.

Kichiro had only the faintest grasp of what a suicide was. The idea that someone could willingly take their own life filled Kichiro with uncontrollable sadness.

His mother told he and Hikari only a few hours ago. Hikari only understood that Takuma had been in the hospital and died. Kichiro refused to let her know the entire situation.

Kichiro heard the front door open and he felt a sense of relief. His father had—

"Kichiro…" Sosei said. Kichiro turned and saw his older brother standing in the bathroom doorway. He threw himself into his brother's arms. He cried and left snot on his brother's shirt.

"Sosei," he shouted. "Takuma, he…"

Sosei shushed him. "I know. I know. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was late…" Kichiro looked up through tear-filled eyes.

"Where's Daddy?" he asked. Sosei slowly shook his head.

"I…don't know."

Kichiro cried some more and Sosei rocked him in his arms. Hikari came in soon after and cried with them. After a while, Sosei stood and rubbed both of their faces.

"I love you both. I just need to go to my room, ok?" Sosei said. Kichiro nodded and Sosei went to his room. When Kichiro heard the door close, he left the bathroom with Hikari at his side. He raised his index finger to his mouth as they listened.

It didn't sound real.

Sosei was crying.

The next few hours were silent aside from spurts of crying from Kichiro. He and Hikari entered Takuma's room and looked around. Kichiro clutched Takuma's forehead protector close to his body and tucked his head down.

 _Why, Takuma?_  He thought. Fishing for more answers, Kichiro walked around the room. As Kichiro expected, there was very little physical evidence to indicate what exactly caused Takuma to do what he did. His brother was such a private and quiet person, but Kichiro knew that the signs had to be there. Someone as practical as his brother had to have planned, made contingencies, and weighed the pros and cons before he made a decision this heavy.

The front door opened again and Kichiro left Takuma's room to go into the living room. Part of his immature brain wanted to see Takuma walking through the door. But the rapidly maturing portion of his brain accepted that it wasn't going to happen.

Instead, it was his father, mother and the Hokage. The three shinobi silently entered the house with only Naruto even attempting to crack a smile. It was pained and forced as if the blonde man was trying to defuse a situation that simply couldn't be defused. Kichiro turned his head when he saw Sosei come out and stand behind him. The Uchiha's were red from crying.

The Hokage looked between them all and wiped a tear from his eye. "Uhm…" he said. He sighed. "This is a bit harder than I thought it would be."

"You don't have to say anything, Lord Hokage. We…" Kichiro saw Sosei look at him and back at the Hokage. "We know what happened. How Takuma died." Naruto nodded quickly.

"Ok." He rubbed his head and sighed. "Never thought I…ok. Uh, the ceremony will be held at the end of the week. Hopefully, the weather clears up by then." Naruto flashed a tearful smile and then he and Sakura exited.

With them gone, Kichiro, Sosei and Hikari were alone with their father. As per usual, their father said absolutely nothing. He just stalked off to his room. The lack of input scared Kichiro and he looked to his brother for reassurance. Sosei only watched their father walk away with a mixture of frustration and sadness before he went to his room.

No one talked to each other until the weekend came and despite Naruto's wishes, the weather didn't clear up. The clouds were a smoky great and snow fell steadily to the ground but didn't stick.

On the day of the funeral, there was barely any standing room. Emissaries from other villages and countries came bearing gifts and condolences from the Kage that weren't able to attend, which were all except the Kazekage, Gaara.

Takuma's body laid on top of a pyre and Kichiro cried as he gave it one last viewing. Sosei rubbed his shoulder as they passed by. Everyone was dressed in black, even the Hokage. Kichiro had never seen a black Kage cape before but Naruto wore one over his clothes. Solemnly, Naruto raised his head and sighed.

"Thank you all for attending," he said. "We have gathered here to celebrate the life and put to rest a fallen son, friend, and shinobi. Takuma Uchiha…" Naruto paused. "Was an excellent and promising shinobi who eventually fell ill to a debilitating disease. He always desired to be the best that he could be, inheriting the Will of Fire that drives us all. So, now, we give him to the flame and put him to rest," Naruto said. He nodded to Sasuke.

Kichiro's father rose and walked to Naruto, stopping only when he stood in front of the pyre. Sosei tapped Kichiro's shoulder and the young boy stood up with everyone else. Sasuke Uchiha stood in front of Takuma's pyre for what seemed like an eternity before he raised his fingers and made a hand seal.

Fire streamed from his mouth and burned the pyre, encompassing Takuma's body. Kichiro had to admit that the flame was beautiful. He watched carefully as his brother was absorbed into the flame, wiping a tear as Takuma's figure became charred into nothingness. When it was confirmed that Takuma's body had disappeared, Naruto dipped his head. Sasuke absorbed the fire chakra with an outstretched hand and the pyre was covered with a coffin top with the Uchiha symbol brilliantly emblazed.

The crowd that gathered came forward, each of them placing a white chrysanthemum flower on the coffin and around it. Some of them greeted Kichiro's parents, others simply left. Kichiro saw his aunt Ino grab and hold his mother closely. His mother wept in her arms and Kichiro sighed softly. The young Uchiha looked around for any of his friends from the Academy and was shocked when he saw an entire crowd of his classmates, led by Kataki, come forward.

Kataki held a bouquet and smiled as he passed by Kichiro and placed them on the ground in front of Takuma's coffin. Kataki then turned to Kichiro and held out two fingers. The seal of reconciliation. Kichiro nodded and performed the seal with Kataki. The boy dipped his head and punched Kichiro's shoulder softly and walked away. Setsuka was one of the last in the crowd of children. She blinked through tears and grabbed Kichiro in a hug. Kichiro felt it deep in his soul and squeezed the girl. After an exchange of glances with her purple eyes, Setsuka went after he classmates.

Takuma's old teammate Shogo passed by and he looked completely broken and pained. He swallowed as he placed his flowers on Takuma's coffin, sighing heavily after he had. he gave the family a look of consideration and turned. Kichiro watched his gaze and saw Honami next. Her face was flushed red with puffy eyes. She shook as she sobbed. Her mother rubbed her shoulders and whispered to her as they passed the coffin. From what Kichiro understood, she was the last person to visit Takuma. After everyone had made their rounds and passes to the family, the Uchiha family stood in front of Takuma's coffin, in silence.

Finally, Sosei said, "It didn't have to be this way. How did this happen?" When nobody said anything, Sosei continued. "We could've saved him. We were so absorbed in our own bullshit that we didn't notice that Takuma felt the way he did." His gaze then went to Sasuke. "If you had been there, he wouldn't have died." Sasuke shifted.

"Are you blaming me?" Their father looked tired and angry. "Takuma's body failed him and –"

"No!" Sosei stepped forward and pointed his finger at Sasuke. " _You_ failed him.  _You_ abandoned him.  _You_ refused to train him and looked down on him because he wasn't me. You doomed him from his birth with your expectations and relentless demands. All of us worked hard to be the best that we could be but Takuma wanted to impress you and be a worthy heir to your name so badly that he broke his mind and body  _for you_."

"Sosei," Sakura said, stepping forward to try to take his hand. Kichiro saw his father flare. "Please. This isn't the time or place." Sosei scoffed.

"This is the only time and place." He turned back to Sasuke. "You were so caught up in your own power that you damn near sacrificed any chance to save Takuma at the Graveyard and then, instead of rushing back to your son's side, you wallowed in self-pity? If that is what it means to be a shinobi to you, I refuse to follow that vision." Sosei turned his back. "And I refuse to stay here or anywhere near you."

Kichiro's eyes widened. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Sosei…don't go," he said. Kichiro's brother looked back at him and Kichiro could see his tears. He could feel his pain. Kichiro reached out to Sosei but his brother walked forward. Kichiro turned to look at his father and mother. Sakura watched Sosei with the saddest look that Kichiro had ever seen on her face. His father stared forward at Takuma's coffin.

Hikari began to cry and grabbed Kichiro's arm. But, Sosei kept walking. Eventually, he disappeared into the gray haze of the day. Kichiro felt as if he had been punched in the stomach then numbness washed over him. He couldn't cry neither could he scream. He just stared off in the direction that Sosei had disappeared.

Watching.

Waiting.

Wishing.


	17. Naruto's Epilogue

_The sky was dominated by grey and white specks of snow. It was a slow sprinkling signifying the beginning of winter and Naruto sighed softly as he stared out of the window of his office. Construction workers finished up on a new building far to the east and Konoha's civilians walked through the streets. Naruto sighed and turned towards his desk._

_What seemed to be an insurmountable amount of paper stacks dominated his desk and the young man sighed and dipped his head. He had only been Hokage for a few days and already, he was swamped by paperwork. Naruto wanted nothing more than to abandon his work and run outside to welcome winter but he couldn't._

_He'd given his word to his staff that he'd at least try to do his own paperwork in his first week in office before delegating anything to them. He was beginning to regret his decision._

_Lazily, the Hokage shifted through the papers. Mission assessments for new genin, team reassignment forms, the amount of wood collected from the forest…_

" _Why…" Naruto said. He rubbed his temples as he stared down at the papers and then closed his eyes. He felt himself begin to pray to whatever deity that ruled the office to bring some kind of excitement to him._

_Naruto's office door burst open and the Hokage looked up. He blinked and cocked his head to the side. With dampened black hair, a tired scowl and an intense yet worried face, Sasuke Uchiha stood in the threshold. The Uchiha seemed to be panting softly like he had raced here or as if he was scared. Naruto tried to appear official._

" _Uh, hey, Sasuke," he said, pushing a paper to the side. "Is everything okay?" Sasuke quickly closed the door and began to pace the room. Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Yo…Earth to Sasuke?" The Uchiha paused, turned to Naruto and gulped._

" _Sakura's pregnant." Naruto sat back in his seat and widened his eyes in shock before inwardly screaming, Thank you to the god of the office._

" _Well, that's great," Naruto said with a smile. Sasuke was still._

" _I-I don't know," he said. Naruto shrugged._

" _I think so. Hell, looks like our kids are going to be playing together," he chuckled. Sasuke shook his head._

" _This isn't a laughing matter, Naruto," he said. "Sakura and I aren't even married yet and we're so young…"_

" _So are Hinata and I…except the unmarried part. Having a child isn't the end of the world, you know," Naruto said. Sasuke shook his head._

" _Naruto, you don't understand. My child will be the first Uchiha child born in twenty-two years and mine." Naruto frowned. He hadn't seen Sasuke this distraught in years. His friend was uncharacteristically uncool and visibly emotional. The Hokage paused for a moment and thought before something clicked in his head._

" _You don't think you're going to be a good father…" he said. Sasuke stared at Naruto and then nodded._

" _I am who I am, Naruto. I still have people that want to see my entire clan and me dead. I still have blood on my hands." Sasuke shook his head. "I'm just starting to learn what it means to truly love again, Naruto. I don't want to raise a child while I'm still trying to get over everything from my past."_

_Naruto nodded and rose from his seat. He touched Sasuke's shoulder and when his friend met his gaze, Naruto smiled._

" _I know it's a bit difficult to think about right now but, Sasuke, you'll be a great father. Hell, you're one of the best shinobi I've ever met and you and Sakura have done so much to mend your relationship. You'll stop dwelling so much on your past once you have your future in your arms." Naruto then grinned. "Besides, if you screw up, your kids will be running to Uncle Naruto for guidance and I'm sure you don't want that."_

_Sasuke blinked and then looked away. His eyes seemed to gaze out into the snowy Konoha landscape and then, he moved away from Naruto's grasp. The Uchiha stood at the window and Naruto turned to face him. He could almost sense what his friend was thinking and feeling in this moment. Naruto had his own fears about having a child that he hadn't discussed with anyone at all except Hinata. The major difference was Naruto didn't have the prospect of restoring a hated clan resting on his shoulders._

" _Have you talked to Sakura?" Naruto asked._

" _No," Sasuke said._

_Naruto folded his arms and said, "Well, maybe you should."_

" _And tell her what? I'm scared to be father? To be like my father?" he replied. Naruto dipped his head._

" _Yes. Sakura understands you better than I do. She's going to be the mother of your child and you two are going to be in it together, anyway. Might as well get all of your concerns out," Naruto said. Sasuke sighed softly and Naruto shook his head. "I promise you won't get hurt, scaredy-cat."_

_Sasuke turned and glared at Naruto. Then he smirked. "Fuck you, loser," he muttered softly. Naruto laughed and tapped Sasuke's shoulder._

" _Hey, no matter what, I'll be there for you and your family," he said, giving Sasuke a thumbs up. "You have my word."_

_Naruto and Sasuke looked at each other and the Uchiha sighed softly and nodded his head._

" _Ok."_

* * *

Snow.

Just like the day he had discovered that Takuma had been conceived.

Naruto sat at his desk, gazing out of his office window into the hazy fog that covered his village. He had been here most of the day, half-heartedly filing through papers. It had been two months since Takuma's funeral ceremony and Naruto hadn't seen or talked to Sasuke or Sakura. Part of him simply wished to give the family private time to mourn. The other part of him didn't want to look Sasuke in the eye. He had heard the news that Sosei had left the village and despite strong deliberation and arguments from both the Elders and the Jonin Council, Naruto opted not to send shinobi to capture Sosei. It was probably for the best that the boy leave, Naruto thought.

He would have too.

Naruto hadn't taken Takuma's death lightly or in stride. His entire household shook from the news. Honami had been inconsolable and hadn't eaten much at all. The entire village had felt the ripples of the death as well. The genin that graduated with him were also in mourning. To Naruto's surprise, Hajime was even remorseful, thinking that he had caused Takuma's death, a death that  _could've_ been avoidable. Konoha had the best medical shinobi in the entire world including Sakura. Takuma's disease could've been at least  _stopped_ enough for him to function and his mental instability that caused him to commit suicide? There were a number of factors, Naruto had thought but it all boiled down to one person.

Naruto rubbed his face and took in a deep breath.

_Damn it, Sasuke._

Naruto created a shadow clone of himself to take his place at the office. The time for the Uchiha to mourn was over. Naruto had questions that needed to be answered.

He arrived at the Uchiha Estate in a silent yellow flash of light. After a quick look around, he could feel that Sasuke wasn't around. Before he headed towards the Spot, he saw Sakura's hair from his peripheral. The Hokage turned his head and saw his old friend, greeting her with a soft smile before crossing the distance to her and grabbing her in a hug.

"Hey," she said.

Naruto pulled away. "How are you?"

"I'm…" Sakura sighed softly. "I'm doing about as well as can be expected."

"And the kids?"

"There's hardly a moment they aren't crying. And when there is, they're sitting in silence." Sakura's green eyes looked up at Naruto. "I-I was too cautious," she said. "With Takuma's procedure, I should've been more decisive. I thought that after his eyes were fine the first time that things would be all right for a while longer so that I could do more research but…" her voice cracked and she broke down into tears.

Naruto shook his head and hugged Sakura again.

"I just wanted to make sure I didn't make things worse. I didn't want Takuma to get his hopes shattered by telling him that his father was trying to get him new eyes only for him to fail, but all that did was push him further into hopelessness," she continued. She paused in between weeping breaths and dropped to her knees. Naruto followed her to the ground and rubbed her back. "It's my fault, Naruto. It's my fault."

Naruto let Sakura cry while he searched for words to say to comfort her, though nothing came. In fact, he  _believed_ Sakura. He didn't want to think because he found himself blaming his friends but there were no moral or logical justifications for their actions. It was overriding nearly every instinct he had to comfort and console.

What could he say?

Naruto sighed softly. "You can't wallow in guilt, Sakura," he said. "If you believe that you were responsible, you also have to remember that you have two other children that still need you there for them. We have to learn from our mistakes, however painful, in order to truly move on." Sakura looked up at him and Naruto flashed a smile. "I know that if anyone can do it, it's you." He rose to his feet. "Take as much time as you need. I'll make sure you get whatever money you need."

Sakura wiped her eyes and exhaled sharply as she stood up. "Thank you, Naruto." The Hokage nodded, before actively changing his countenance.

"Where's your husband?" he asked.

Sakura blinked and said, "The Spot." Naruto nodded and he disappeared.

When he arrived at the so-called Spot, he found the forested area ablaze. In the center of the destruction, he saw a dark figure blowing fire from his mouth into the trees. Naruto folded his arms and cleared his throat after the fires disappeared.

"Go away," Sasuke said.

"That's not how you address your Hokage," Naruto said, half joking, half annoyed. Sasuke turned his head fractionally.

"Is that what you're here as? Hokage?"

"Hokage and friend," Naruto conceded.

"I still don't want you here," Sasuke said. "I need to be alone." Naruto sighed.

Naruto sighed. "I've had enough of your loner bullshit. If you want me to leave, make me," he said. Sasuke turned fully and scowled.

"This is childish. Either you leave or you don't. I'm not fighting you," the Uchiha replied evenly. Naruto smirked.

Naruto frowned. "Why attack trees that can't hit back when you've got a willing opponent in front of you?" The Hokage tilted his head to the side and Sasuke narrowed his eyes. He had him now.

He had him now.

"No ninjutsu," Sasuke said, raising his sword. Naruto shrugged.

"Whatever you say."

Sasuke zoomed across the field like a black blur and Naruto caught sight of him just as he was about to strike. The Hokage whipped a kunai from his pouch and blocked Sasuke's sword strike. The Uchiha pushed but Naruto easily held his ground and waited for Sasuke to disengage. When he didn't, Naruto kicked at Sasuke and the Uchiha fell back into a defensive stance.

"Why did you really come?" Sasuke asked as he came forward to attack again. Naruto blocked and dodged several of his sword swings.

"I wanted to talk to you." He leaped into the air and flipped over Sasuke. "About Takuma." The Sharingan activated in Sasuke's right eye and his scowl deepened.

"Don't," Sasuke said. He rushed Naruto and came with a barrage of punches and kicks mixed with blindingly quick sword swings. The Hokage narrowed his eyes and grabbed Sasuke's arm.

"This has to happen, Sasuke," he said. The Uchiha wriggled away.

"No."

Naruto squeezed his fist tight and growled softly. "What in the hell is wrong with you?!" he shouted. "Your son is dead. Sakura blames herself and you stand out here knocking down trees?" When Sasuke was silent, Naruto grew angrier. "You've been abandoning your family! You abandoned Takuma! You went against everything we discussed—"

"Shut up." Sasuke's voice was soft and shaky with emotion. The Uchiha's hands were quivering now and Naruto stayed still. He could see tears starting to stream down his old friend's face and the Hokage sighed softly.

"Sasuke…" Naruto said.

"I failed him. I let something happen to my family that I swore I'd never let happen." Sasuke looked up. "One son dead because of me…another leaves our family because of me. My sons. How could I let this happen?"

Naruto walked closer to Sasuke. "You can't control everything, Sasuke. You tried to control the destinies of your children and the pressure that you placed on Takuma tore at him." He then paused. "Didn't you feel the same about Itachi?"

Sasuke stared forward.

Then, he dropped his head.

He understood.

Naruto tapped his friend's shoulder. The two locked eyes. "You have Kichiro and Hikari to look after. If or when Sosei returns, you'll have him as well. Takuma's death hasn't ended your family and it shouldn't end your commitment to them," Naruto said. "And like I told you before, no matter what, I'll be there for you and your family."

Sasuke slowly nodded and shifted his eyes away. "Thank you."

Naruto lightly smiled. "No problem." He then stepped back and cracked his knuckles. "Now, how about we spar a bit for real?"

Sasuke raised his sword. "Only if you're prepared to lose, Lord Hokage…"

Naruto scoffed. "As if…" he said.

"Idiot…" Sasuke said.

The forest erupted with the sounds of metal clashing.

Flocks of birds flew from the trees as they began to crumble and fall.

The hazy grey of the day shifted to the darker tones of night and the two Gods of the Shinobi, sweaty and panting, smiled at each other from across the field...

* * *

_**Next, Adulthood** _

 


End file.
